Blood for Blood
by seren1tystar01
Summary: Chased from camp and scared out of her mind, Kagome runs for her life from a demon she never thought to exist. Waking slowly the next day, she raises shaking fingers to her neck and pulls away fingers soaked in blood. What is going on?
1. Chapter 1

Hello all. This is a new story that has been plaguing my mind for months now and I couldn't resist the pull of it any longer. I know that I should currently be working on Soul Consumption, but this story needed out of my head and I didn't have much choice in the matter. I hope you like it and I also have a few of the chapters pre written so I can post this story much faster than my others. If you like this, please let me know and if you don't, do the same. I would love to hear from my readers. Their encouragement keeps me going and constructive criticism is always welcome.

As always, I do not own Inuyasha and company so please do not sue, you wouldn't get anything out of it anyway. LOL.

Blood for Blood

Chapter 1

Fright Night

Panting harshly in the waning light, I glance behind me once again hoping that I am finally alone, but the crack of a twig off to my left only a few feet away makes my heart thunder loudly in my chest. My blood is pounding through me with such force I can't hear anything save my rapid heartbeat. A new burst of speed is the effect of the lingering adrenaline coursing through my veins and still I refuse to be deterred. Where is everyone? Why am I the only one this thing is chasing? Why the hell did it pass up everyone in favor of chasing after a priestess with absolutely no training?

Dodging trees and underbrush tearing at my clothes and skin, I veer sharply to the left in hopes of confusing him enough for me to get away. Trying to concentrate on masking my scent would be fabulous at the moment, but I just started learning how to do it and now I can't even remember what to chant! Blah!

Swerving toward the stream I can hear trickling down the mountain off to my right, I decide that my only chance at not becoming this guy's next meal is submerging myself in the water to make my scent abruptly end. Hoping that I make it that far, I see a clearing up ahead and know that if I make it through the wide birth of the clearing; I will make it to the stream ahead.

Sweat gathers on my brow and I can feel the dampness on my back and in the valley of my breasts. I know that the adrenaline rush I am using to my advantage is quickly losing its potency. My heartbeat staccato's in my chest and my harsh pants fill the air and still I refuse to quit. I am determined to make it back to camp in one piece.

I enter the clearing and then a cold breeze blows right through me and suddenly my hunter is no longer behind me, but at the other end of the clearing with a sadistic smirk gracing his features.

Oh how I would love to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. Who the hell does he think he is?

Coming to an abrupt halt and panting slightly in response to my lengthy hike through Inuyasha's forest, I breathe deeply to calm myself. I refuse to show him that I am scared shitless! I know that he can smell my fear as easily as the trees surrounding me, or the nest resting on the top of the tree I just passed full of baby hatchlings, but I don't give a damn! There is always something or someone that will be bigger, better and faster than me, but I will not give up! I am not just fighting for me, I am fighting for my family and friends. Which brings me to something that has been bothering me ever since I first laid eyes on this beautiful demon after me. What the hell? I don't want to believe my eyes, but I couldn't have been imagining things, could I?

Why is it that this is the first time I ever considered that there could be such things as vampires and werewolves and other mythical creatures when I have seen much more deadly things here on this side of the well? And all of them were considered myths and legend before I saw them here in this time.

Surely if there are such things as demons, especially demons like Naraku and Kagura, not to mention the hordes of other demons we have defeated over the past four years, then there could quite possibly be such a thing as a vampire.

So why is this the first time I have ever seen one?

I wonder if he is as old as Sesshomaru. Could he be older?

Using a critical eye, I look over him with a scrutinizing glare. He has long midnight black hair that is blowing softly on the wind behind him that flows nearly to the very ground he stands on. He is wearing a black and silver hakama and haori set that contrasts nicely with his well defined shape and pale skin, if I do say so myself. Broad shoulders, high cheekbones, a narrow waist and long legs that look remarkably strong. His eyes are his most striking feature and currently their icy blue depths are blending with a midnight black that rivals that of his hair. What catches my eyes the most though, is the set of protruding fangs that glisten in the light. They are as long as his chin and even from this distance I can just tell they are sharp as hell.

His hakama and haori are solid black with what looks to be silver slashes sown into the fabric. It looks almost as though there is a deliberate pattern to it, but at the moment I have other things to worry about, such as the fact that he is now walking calmly toward me.

Determined not to back down, regardless of my staccato heartbeat and panting breaths, I face him with a fierce determination in my eyes. If it is my time to die, I will do so on my own terms.

Gathering my reiki around me in a deliberate arc that surrounds my body, I hope he will get the point that I am not someone to be trifled with, but apparently he isn't one of the smartest of his kind. Damn! Steeling my courage, I mold my energy into a tightly knit ball of pure power. If this is to be my last stand then dammit I am taking him with me!

If you ask me later how it is I managed such control over my powers, I will still have no idea how, but it made me feel powerful and worth more than I am given credit for, if for only a moment.

Readying a battle stance, I only pray that he was alone when he decided to grace our camp with his presence and then I practically growl in my fierce desire to live through this night. Which by the way, if I do manage to come out of this alive, I swear that Inuyasha will need weeks to heal what I am gonna do to him.

Flashback

I am startled awake by the crack of a twig that is only a foot away from my sleeping bag. Opening my eyes abruptly and rising into a sitting position, I look around the camp and discover that I am the only one who noticed that loud crack. Oddly enough, it doesn't bother me in the slightest and I begin to ease back down to the ground and close my eyes when I hear it again, only this time it is much closer to the camp then last time, almost as if it is right beside me.

My eyes fly open and then I am suddenly being hypnotized by the most erotic pair of blue black eyes I have ever seen. The colors seem to swirl together and for some reason I cannot be bothered to look away. He has fine black eyebrows and a deeply penetrating gaze as he seems to peer into my very soul before relinquishing his hold on me with a simple blink of his eyes.

Rising out of my sleeping bag, I notice that Shippo didn't even move an inch in the entire time that I have been up. Looking around the campsite I immediately get a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. No one is moving. Not even Inuyasha. He is just sitting on his branch far up in the tree, snoring softly to himself and I turn wary eyes toward Sango and Miroku, only to discover them in much the same situation. It is as if they have a sleeping spell or something of the sort on them and I am the only one unaffected. Could it be true?

Turning sharply to our unwanted guest, I am startled to discover he is mere inches away from my face, his piercing eyes gazing deeply into mine once again, only this time I know what he is trying to do, so I look quickly away. Suddenly, a soft wind blows into the campsite and then he is no longer in front of me, but right beside me. I flinch as he leans down closer to my face, expecting him to attack and trying to ready myself for anything, but what he does is something that is far worse than attacking.

The fangs in his mouth lengthen considerably and then I feel them begin to settle near my pulse point. My fear spikes to new heights as I shudder involuntarily at the close contact. Suddenly, he backs off and instead leans heavily toward me and whispers into my ear with a deadly beautiful voice.

"Run priestess."

Needing no further prompting from this deadly demon, I take flight immediately. Dashing through the forest at breakneck speeds, I pay no mind as the branches from the trees and the foliage on the ground, tear into my flesh. Knowing that I am running for my life is a serious motivator and I don't even fall when I nearly break my ankle in a rut on the ground. I stumble slightly as I nearly lose my balance, but I hear his light chuckle in the air and know he is far too close to me for comfort, so I push forward.

I know my way around most of the area in Inuyasha's forest, but I have absolutely no idea in which direction I am running. For all I know I could be running either straight for Kaede's village or a trap set by the demon chasing me.

Screaming out my frustration when I again feel him come far too close for comfort, I demand to know what kind of demon he is and am shocked to hear his amused response almost directly behind where I was only moments before.

"I am what is called a Blood demon, priestess."

Turning abruptly, I pick up my pace and head into what I can only assume is a north western direction and pray to all the Kami I can think of that he somehow loses sight of me.

Glancing around me wildly, I nearly scream in fright when he bursts through the trees directly in front of where I am running. Skidding to a halt, I turn more towards the west and once again flee into the night. Dodging trees and large foliage, I come to a complete stop when his words finally register in my fear crazed brain.

"Blood demon…is that the same thing as a Vampire?"

"Why priestess, how did you know the given name of my people, without first becoming one? Only those within our family know the true name of our ancestors."

With a loud 'EEP!' I turn around abruptly and come face to face with this beautiful demon and can't help the startled gasp that tumbles from my throat. He is standing only inches away from me and the depth of his eyes once again try to hypnotize me. Shaking my head to clear it of the sudden fog that has rolled in, I dart forward with as much speed as I am capable of and then turn sharply to the left at the last second hoping to catch him off guard. When he begins to react to my first movements, I immediately turn around and use my knee to hit him in the groin so hard his mother will feel it, before quickly darting into the nearby foliage, desperate to get away when his loud growl of pain floats past the clearing and into my frightened ears.

Dashing through the nearest trees and coming into a clearing surrounded by moonlight on all sides that leaves me feeling extremely vulnerable, makes me pick up the pace. Almost to the middle of the clearing, a harsh wind blows past me and then suddenly he is no longer behind me, but standing mere inches from my person. A sadistic smirk plays on his face and I can't help the shudder that passes through me when I realize that it's now or never.

End Flashback

Taking a deeply calming breath, I steady myself and then let loose a small spark of my gathered power to watch for his reaction time. I am far from stupid. I know that with this demon's quick reflexes I will only get one chance at this. If I miss him, I can kiss my sweet ass goodbye and all I can say is DAMMIT! I am still a virgin for fuck sakes! I'm going to be thoroughly displeased if this ends badly for me….

He continues his slow approach and I can only assume he is trying to force me into making a mistake, as in attacking without thought, like Inuyasha is so fond of doing. I, however have never been prone to running face first into any conflict, regardless; therefore, I will stand my ground and react to whatever comes my way.

Speak of the devil, he has suddenly stopped his approach. Not knowing whether that is a good or bad thing, I tense my muscles and slowly begin to inch toward my opponent. With any luck, my reiki will turn him to dust long before I reach his position.

He raises an eyebrow at my slow progress and he suddenly reminds me of the polar opposite of Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. Perhaps they know each other? They could have grown up together with such similarities between them and then suddenly I cannot help the giggle that bubbles to the surface when I imagine them as two adolescent demonic hellions reeking havoc upon any and all who have the displeasure of getting in their way.

Immediately realizing my error, I stop my mirthful thoughts and glance to his delicious eyes. Wait, what? Did I just think he has delicious eyes? Is that even possible? Then I hear my conscience sneer one word….._Obviously!_

Sneering right back I mutter obscenities under my breath until I can't hear it bothering me anymore and then realize that he has one eyebrow raised in silent question to what I can only assume are my thoughts. Not daring to give him the satisfaction of dignifying his silent question with a response, I snort softly in his direction and smirk in delight when the black in his eyes becomes much more prominent.

Shuddering in disgust when his eyes no longer carry any light, but look like two soulless pools of evil, I flex my fingers at the same time my reflexes scream at me to dodge quickly to the left. Widening my eyes at the sudden thought, I decide to stop thinking about it and just assume my instincts are simply trying to prolong what little life I might have left.

Using the momentum of my movements, I quickly thrust my fist into his stomach and launch an all out assault with my reiki, determined to turn him to ash long before I draw my last breath.

Unfortunately, his reflexes are far superior to mine and within moments, I am laying on the ground with this beautiful yet deadly creature straddling my waist. Cursing softly under my breath, I am disgusted once again when I see the burns fading from his flesh as I lay helpless to stop it. He has my arms pinned beneath his legs and therefore I cannot call my power and the amusement dancing in his eyes only proves that he knows I can do nothing.

I am so angry at this point that I growl lowly in my throat and watch in fascination when his expression changes from one of a predator about to feast on his prey, to one of thoughtful contemplation before his stoic mask once again graces me with its' presence. I swear, Sesshomaru and this man must be long lost brothers. Perhaps I should ask him if he is the illegitimate son of the late InuTaisho? Could Fluffy and Inu have a brother they don't know about? I wonder……

Nah! I am sure they would just get offended. Oh well, I have more important things to worry about at the moment, like the way his fangs are gleaming in the moonlight and how impossibly white they are. God!

Wriggling underneath him, I gasp in pain when I feel sharp claws rake against my side. Stopping my actions immediately, I glance toward his eyes once again and see that there is now some ice blue shining within their depths.

He suddenly leans down so that I can feel his breath ghosting over the skin of my neck. My heart flutters in my chest and I feel my skin warm at his close proximity then I shiver involuntarily when his long rough tongue snakes out of his mouth and drags a heated path from the pulse in my neck to my temple before pulling away.

I hear a soft moan fly away on the breeze that sounds awfully familiar and then to my absolute horror, I realize suddenly that it had come out of my mouth. Flushing darkly at the implications, I refuse to meet his stare and can only assume he is getting ready to finish me off when the most peculiar thing happens.

This deathly calm overtakes my mind and I relax in the grasp of this demon. Perhaps I can win yet. Feeling his grip loosen almost immediately, I tense my muscles and buck my hips up as forcefully as possible without breaking any bones in the process and yell victoriously when he is thrown unceremoniously onto the forest floor. Before he can react to what I have just done, I roll over and straddle him, trapping his claws beneath my legs in the process and smile triumphantly down at his grinning form…

Wait….grinning?

Did I miss something? What the fuck is he smiling about? He couldn't possibly have known what I was going to do, could he? Damn! There is only one way for me to find out.

"What is so funny?"

His wicked grin at my question nearly makes me lose my breath. God, but he is a handsome demon. Why do they all have to be so unearthly beautiful?

Apparently he saw my confusion and decided to humor me because only moments after I ask my question, I hear his soft spoken reply. His voice is like a sensual caress against my already heated flesh and I cannot help the shudder that passes through me at the sound.

"Priestess, you have such fire and passion, such courage and conviction! Any other would have given into my whims long ago and yet you still have the will to fight me. I must say that you are indeed a breath of fresh air and it would be a pleasure to turn you."

Recognition flashes in my eyes and I stiffen noticeably before glaring dangerously at the demon beneath me. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I feel my reiki pulse beneath my skin and react without hesitation to purify this sick bastard for daring to make me into the undead. I refuse to be another Kikyo!

Flexing my fingers, a blue violet light appears against my palm and spreads to each digit on my hand. Using my pointer finger, I touch the flesh near his temple and begin to drag it slowly against his burning skin and watch as his eyes once again turn as black as night. He starts to growl dangerously and even though I do not know exactly what he is saying, I know a threat when I hear one.

But instead of adhering to his demands to stop my actions immediately, I decide to continue my ministrations to see how much of my reiki it will take before he is unconscious or dead, whichever comes first.

Not usually one to administer pain and discomfort to anyone, regardless of what they have done to me or my friends, this guy just doesn't know when to quit. There is no way in hell that I will become the walking dead. I will purify myself first dammit!

But to my utter astonishment, he suddenly relaxes in my hold and begins to purr against the palm of my hand, even as my purifying energy turns his once perfect face into a mass of burning flesh. Of course, it heals almost just as fast, but I refuse to be deterred. This is such a strange creature.

First he looks ready to rip me apart for my audacity for trying to purify him and then he practically purrs his contentment. What's the deal with this guy? I swear, all he would have to do is crawl into my lap and I would start to rub him behind the ears. Now that brings some interesting visual aspects into this once drab encounter, wouldn't you agree?

Getting back to topic, I shake my entertaining thoughts and resume making this demon beneath me purr in contentment, although I have no idea why. Perhaps he is in fact a sadomasochist and is one of the first of many. That would explain a lot…..hmmm.

Of course, this will have to come to an end sooner or later and since I am out in the middle of Inuyasha's forest in my cutie short and tank pajama set that leave little to the imagination and it is well past sunset, I decide that now is as good a time as any to finish this.

It is truly a shame that this beautiful, albeit deadly creature will have to die tonight. He would have made an excellent mate to someone…..

"What is your name Vampire?"

His contented purring stops abruptly and I feel a great sense of loss for some reason, but before I can give the reaction much thought, it disappears as if never there in the first place. Oh well, now where was I? Ah yes….looking toward his face and waiting for a reply to my question, I notice his blue black eyes are distracting in their intensity. If I were a lesser being that didn't know better than to get caught in that obvious trap, I would surely have been dinner by now.

Startled by a deviously sensuous voice that is far too sexy for my sanity; I glance toward him once again and pause in my ministrations to consider his words carefully.

"My name is of no consequence. However, if it is truly your desire to hear it, stop this nonsense. I will tell you what you want to know. I will expect a name in return of course, but after that I will never bother you again if that is your wish."

Knowing that I have been doing something for the past few minutes that I never even considered could or would happen during my long stay in the feudal era, I release him almost as if my reiki turned against my own hand.

Jumping away from him as quickly as possible, I stand tall with my head held high at the same time as I gather another large surge of energy to the palm of my hand. If he changes his mind about leaving me in peace, then I will just have to remind him that it is not polite to go back on your word, nor is it beneficial to ones' health.

He stands so quietly that I don't even notice he is only a few feet away until I can practically feel his hot breath blowing dangerously close to my flushed skin.

Trembling at the delicious tingles that course through my entire body, I turn to him with an expectant look in my eyes. I will not repeat myself and I am tired of being his sole source of amusement for the evening, thus my temper is precariously close to the surface.

"You may call me Velenor, priestess. Now, tell me your name so that I can remember it always as the one that resisted my charms, for I assure you it will never happen again."

His wicked grin causes me to flush hotly and I cannot help the shiver that races along my spine as the sensual sound of his voice once again feels like an intimate caress between lovers.

I know he can smell what he is doing to me. Surely, it is not mere coincidence? He has to know that every word out of his mouth sets my blood on fire. I can feel the dampness between my legs and know without a shadow of a doubt he can smell my arousal from a long way off.

I wonder what game he is playing then. Why is he saying that I am immune to his charms when he knows I am obviously far from it? Perhaps he is trying to distract me long enough to lower my guard?

Giving him a wary look and seeing no expression in his eyes to give away his intentions, I sigh agitatedly to myself before answering his question.

"My name is Kagome."

Not even two seconds after the words leave my mouth, his sharp claws are dangerously close to piercing the flesh of my neck and my body is nearly being crushed from the way he slams me back into a nearby tree.

Trying to stifle the gasp of surprise at his reaction to my name, I do my best to open my eyes and search out his own, demanding answers silently. The energy in my hands dissipated when he surprised me and having lost enough of my concentration to keep it on the surface, I am defenseless against this demon who would take my life tonight.

His eyes narrow in response to my silent questions and I almost fear for my life, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of winning, so I steel my resolve and glare defiantly into his face with as much courage as I can muster.

His soft chuckle startles me and I would ask him what is so funny again if I had the use of my throat at the moment. Unfortunately, all I can see are white spots forming in my vision and all I can do is hang two feet off the ground because of the height difference between us.

Apparently sensing my distress, he loosens his hold minutely and I take in a few deep gasping breaths before returning my gaze to his face, all the while continuing to give him a defiant look.

I will not cower in the face of this demon. I do not cower in front of Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, much to his dismay, so I adamantly refuse to do so in front of this demon.

Suddenly, I feel sharp teeth dig into my neck and I gasp in surprise and anger before I feel my holy energy coming to the rescue. However, to my utter shock and dismay, almost as soon as the power rises to the surface so that I can use it in my defense, it begins to fade.

Feeling my body begin to sag at the loss of blood and now not having any defense against what is happening, I slowly resign myself to my fate. There is nothing I can do about it now. I will die tonight without ever knowing the touch of a man. Fabulous!

Alright everyone, that is the end of the first chapter. I hope you liked it and if you did, let me know because I have a few chapters of this story prewritten. If I get enough responses I will post within the next few days. I don't want you to feel as though you are being blackmailed, but I have no other choice in the matter. It seems that now because of the new rules to this site, many people do not feel the need to review after they have read a story. The last story I posted had five hundred hits on the first day and absolutely no one reviewed. That tells me that either my story is no good, or the site has made it too troublesome for people to take the time to review. If I don't get any reviews I will not continue this story. I love this storyline and believe that it is truly unique, but if no one tells me they like it as well, I have no reason to continue it. I do hope that I am wrong and people will review, but I am no longer going to keep my hopes us.

A special thanks go to Sada, Paganstar21 and my cousin Diana, for all their support in the writing, grammar and ideas for this and my other stories. You all are my muses and this story and my others would only be notes and thoughts on paper if it weren't for you three fabulously gifted individuals. I love you all…..


	2. Chapter 2

Hi all. Here is the second chapter of Blood for Blood. I hope you liked the first chapter and I hope I don't dissapoint with this one. Please feel free to review so I know what I should change or if this is even remotely interesting. Constructive criticism is always welcome and I hope to hear from you. Since I have some of these chapters already done, I will hope to get more reviews before posting the next chapter, but I will not hold it hostage if I feel that someone out there actually likes it enough to let me know. I look forward to hearing from you, my readers, and without further ado here is the next installment of Blood for Blood.

As always, I do not own Inuyasha and company. If I did, I would be off on my own private beach or something having a romantic encounter with a certain golden eyed demon lord….hint, hint….

A special thanks go out to Sada, Paganstar21, and my cousin Diana for their thoughts, criticisms, and encouragements. Without them, this story would not exist and it would have taken much longer for its creation. My beta's and muses, I send you much love and gratitude for your comments and encouragements. Without the three of you urging me to continue and refusing to let me get frustrated enough to stop, this story would not become what it is. Thanks!

Blood for Blood

Chapter 2

Surprising Encounters

Fading in and out of consciousness, I swear I can feel a pair of warm arms wrapped around me, but just as soon as they are there, they disappear. For a moment I think I can feel a soft breeze billowing softly by and then it too fades from my senses.

Trying desperately to blink the heaviness away from my eyes, I nearly growl in frustration when they do not open. I feel so utterly helpless. My limbs are far too heavy to be mine.

I must have done something to hurt myself, or perhaps someone kidnapped me again. Ha ha ha ….that would be nothing new. Maybe they drugged me to ensure my cooperation. There are thousands of other possibilities, but right now that one is looking pretty damn good.

For a second, I'm positive I taste something coppery in my mouth and instinctively fight the urge to vomit. Perhaps I bit my tongue in the process of trying to wake up. That had to be it. Although now that I think about it, that was an awful lot of blood from biting my tongue. Maybe I have a head wound.

Floating in a dark abyss, I know nothing. There is no time in this hollow place. I could have been here for days, weeks, even years and not have had any inkling as to how long I have truly been a visitor of this void. I wonder if I will ever wake up.

Did I die? Is this hell? What is the last thing I can remember? Something blue and black flashes before my befuddled mind so quickly that I don't have time to process what it is I see, until it is too late and then I am once again floating in a sea of nothing.

My vision swims in an ocean of murky waves and I can do nothing to stop the gentle swaying. Of course, this is the first time since I can remember that I can see a gentle light playing against my vision off in the distance. Perhaps that is the way out of this dark prison.

Doing my best to move my heavy aching limbs, I determinedly move toward the distant light. Understanding that it will take a while for me to reach my destination because of my slow movement, does nothing for my sanity and I grow nearly hysterical as I see the light slowly begin to fade.

Where am I? Where are Sango and Miroku? Where is my Shippo? Why isn't Inuyasha trying to save me? Why am I here alone?

I slowly begin to feel the last shreds of my sanity start to unravel at the prospect of staying in this darkness any longer. Viciously, I start to growl low in my throat, demanding without words for the light to remain where it lay.

Not caring in the slightest that I still have a long way to go, I am happy in the knowledge that regardless of how long it takes to get there, I will eventually.

I suddenly hear a voice calling out to me in the darkness and I nearly jump in fright. Where is it coming from? It echoes loudly in this desolate place, but I can no sooner fly than find the source of this enchanting sound, so I continue toward the light, while still listening for the loud voice that is calling to me.

Desperate to hear its comforting words and to know that I am not alone in this dark sea, I begin to scream my thoughts to the emptiness, hoping against hope that someone will hear my pleas and find me.

Oh how I wish that I could see my friends again. I hope that nothing hurt them. Could they be in the same position as I? What if they are trapped in their own little world? How are we ever going to find each other if we are all trapped within this hell?

Silencing those desolate thoughts, I refuse to think like that until I am out of this wasteland. The light is much closer now and I can see the faint outline of a person on the outside. Perhaps that is Inuyasha? It's hard to say, but I refuse to give up.

The voice is getting steadily louder, but the words are just mumbles of incoherent noise. There is no steady flow and I cannot place whether the voice is male or female. I can only hope that I am not waking to a trap, but at this point I would gladly welcome an enemy if it meant I would have the freedom I so desperately crave.

Nearly thirty feet from the light, I notice that I can see the outline of more than just one person. In fact, I can clearly see the outline of Kirara sitting on Sango's shoulder. At least now I know that they are not trapped as I once thought. If I never get out of here alive I will be happy in the knowledge that my friends are safe.

Seeing the light get much brighter than a few moments ago, I shield my eyes and do not cease my movements until I feel the heavy weights begin to lift from my limbs.

Finally making it to my destination, I brace myself for whatever is going to happen and walk slowly into the blinding light.

My limbs still very heavy, I use all the strength I can muster just to open my eyes. Fluttering slowly, I wince audibly when the bright sunlight nearly blinds me with it's' intensity. Quickly closing my eyes, I brace myself for the pain I am going to feel and slowly open them once again.

Having to squint, it takes me a few moments to adjust to the afternoon light and I nearly jump out of my sleeping bag when I realize that it is well past noon from the position of the sun. What on earth happened?

Looking around myself, I see that Inuyasha and Shippo are missing from camp and Miroku and Sango are facing away from my position looking for all intents and purposes like they are deep in thought as well as conversation, but at closer inspection I can see Sango's shoulders shaking as if she is sobbing. Did something happen to Kohaku?

I can hear soft voices drift toward me on the breeze, but the words are unintelligible nonsense to my ears. I can't seem to concentrate on anything at the moment and the thoughts in my head are racing so fast that I cannot catch them.

Grunting softly to try and make them notice I am awake, I smile tightly in response when they both whirl around at the noise with looks of utter shock and horror on their faces.

My eyes widen slightly at their behavior and it is then I notice that their eyes are red, swollen and filled with such sorrow and despair, I nearly lose my breath. Giving them a look of confusion as to their reaction to my waking, I try to speak once again and the feeling of a lead weight on the end of my tongue prevents me from uttering a word.

I also realize that my limbs still feel far too heavy for my liking and as I look over my body to try and determine the cause; I notice that there is a large amount of blood on my clothing and on the inside of my sleeping bag as well.

Eyes widening in horror, I try to stand from my prone position and am disappointed when I haven't the strength. Crying out in frustration at my inability to do something so simple, I look toward my Feudal Era family and notice that Miroku is looking at me with something akin to barely disguised intrigue and curiosity. Something tells me that scientists who test on live subjects would have a similar look in their eyes and for some reason that thought makes me truly uncomfortable. Glancing at Sango, I notice that she is looking at me as if she were seeing a ghost.

Not enjoying their obvious looks of shock, bewilderment and something akin to horror, I turn my face from them and try desperately to wet my suddenly parched throat. Finding my voice a few minutes later, I turn to look at them again and speak as loud as I am able.

"What happened to me?"

Sango jumps up from her position on the other side of the fire and runs to embrace me in a hug that speaks far louder than her words ever could. Holding her tightly in response, I start soothing her the only way I know how. Using my hands, I slowly begin to trace small designs across her back while at the same time whispering comforting words of love and friendship. I suddenly notice that she is trembling and my shock nearly doubles when I hear her heart wrenching sobs. I have never heard her sound so broken before in all the years we have been traveling together, even when she was forced to fight Kohaku in battle.

Something truly horrible must have happened for her to react so strongly to my waking. Perhaps I was far closer to death than I originally surmised.

Her shoulders begin to droop noticeably and then her sobs slowly die. Deep breaths wash over me and it is then I realize she has fallen into a deep sleep in my lap. Lovingly stroking her hair, I settle her head on my thighs comfortably before I turn my attention to the ever patient houshi that is once again looking at me with speculation and something else I cannot define in his violet orbs.

Gathering what little strength I feel I have left in my body, I steel my resolve to get to the bottom of this situation. Looking Miroku straight in the eyes, I give him my most determined look and speak as loud as I dare so as not to wake the sleeping exterminator.

"Why did you both react to me with such shock and apprehension when I woke?"

Seeing his eyes narrow slightly, I wonder at the reason for it when he motions to the other side of where he is sitting. Glancing wonderingly over his left shoulder where he has indicated, I see a large pool of blood and torn fabric. Upon closer inspection, I realize that the fabric laying in the bloody mass is that of my favorite shorts and tank cutie pajama set that I wore to bed last night.

Confusion lights my face as I look down to what I am wearing and see that I am still wearing the set, but that a large portion of the cloth is torn and the rest of it is covered in the blood I saw earlier and just assumed was because of my unconscious state.

Lifting my gaze back to the houshi sitting before me, I open my mouth to speak to him when he lifts a finger to my lips. Closing my mouth abruptly, I wait for him to tell me what I am dying to know and am not disappointed when he begins quietly.

"Kagome, I don't know what to say, other than to put it bluntly, I watched you die."

Not sure I understand what he just told me, I give him a questioning look and say simply, "What?"

"I am sorry Kagome, but I watched you die and I don't know any other way to tell you. You were covered in blood when we woke this morning and Inuyasha and Shippo were no where to be seen. We assumed that they had gone to try and find your attacker. I know that you are going to think I am insane, but I checked for a pulse just like you taught me and I let my energy wash over you. My power was surrounding you when you breathed your last breath. I felt you die as if it were my life slipping away. It was the most horrible feeling I have ever experienced. I literally felt as your life essence dissipated. I saw your soul leaving your body. There is no way that you can be alive, unless you are blessed by the Kami themselves."

To say that I am shocked to hear his words can safely be described as the understatement of the century. I don't understand it myself, but I don't remember what happened either. The last thing I recall is a pair of hauntingly familiar blue black eyes that have a hidden power within, but as soon as the memory appears, it once again slips back into my subconscious and I am left with an empty feeling, a sense of being hollow. It is as if I am missing half of myself.

Of course that is when I realize that Miroku said that he watched as my soul left my body. What in the world could have happened to me to make me die? All I remember is falling asleep in my sleeping bag with Shippo curled around my middle and then feeling that heavy black void settle over me before suddenly being back in the bright afternoon sun, after having slept all day it seems, or perhaps it is more appropriate to say that I came back from deaths clutches.

Feeling a deep sense of gratitude for being alive, I close my eyes and thank all the Kami for letting me live and I silently promise them that I will fulfill my destiny to repay them for this great kindness they have shown me.

Nodding toward Miroku, I ask something that has been bothering me since I woke up.

"What happened to me Miroku?"

His wince at my question leaves me with a dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach and I can do nothing but wait for the answer with nervous apprehension.

"Inuyasha was the first of us to awaken this morning and it was he who noticed that there was a massive amount of blood in the air. Almost immediately he recognized the scent as yours and threw back the cover of your sleeping bag to see four large gashes on your side from an obvious demon attack and two puncture wounds in your neck. He could smell a considerable amount of death and decay around your usually vibrant scent and nearly went into a blood rage when he realized that he was asleep as you were attacked and he didn't even wake until it was too late to save you."

He shifted in his seat to try and distract himself from the uncomfortable subject of our discussion before finally settling down once again and continuing.

"As soon as he realized that he failed you, he grabbed Shippo from your sleeping bag and left camp. We haven't seen him since. As for why Shippo didn't notice the scent of your blood far sooner than Inuyasha, well there was a sleeping herb on him. When he didn't wake up immediately we thought that perhaps he had been killed as well, but upon closer inspection we realized that he had some sleeping powder on his face. It was right after that revelation that Inuyasha left to go where I can only assume he could remove the sleeping potion from your kit and try to track your attacker."

"When Sango and I looked upon your near dead form we also noticed that you were deathly pale and hardly breathing. You had lost so much blood, there was nothing we could do but bandage you up as well as possible and wait for whatever would come."

Taking a deep breath, he continued his explanation of the events that transpired this morning.

"It was shortly after that when I felt your death and then saw your soul leave your body for the next world. Sango immediately broke down and fell into a sobbing heap to the forest floor. I went to her side to comfort her and it was only mere minutes later when we heard your soft grunt. We thought it was a forest animal or something of that nature at first, so needless to say we were quite shocked when we turned to find you alive and well only minutes after your death. And that is everything that you missed. I can only imagine where Inuyasha has taken Shippo. As I have said before, I would say that they are in the process of tracking the demon that did this to you."

Clasping and unclasping my hands in silent frustration, I begin to gnaw on my lower lip as well. I don't know how else to explain my resurrection other than to say that it simply wasn't my time to go. Apparently, I am just as stubborn in death as I am in life. Somehow I find that thought comforting….

Thinking hard on the subject of my apparent demise, I have to assume that my soul returned to my body, otherwise I would not be sitting here having a conversation with the houshi while his love interest slept soundly in my lap. Deciding that a simple test will determine whether or not I have kept my soul, I gently lift Sango's head from its resting place and stand as quickly as possible, which is far too slow for my liking. Of course, at the gentle movement she is awake and looking at me with confusion written on her face, so I smile gently at her and sit down again to gaze into the flames, desperate to understand all that has been told me, since I have yet to gain the strength to move my body, I might as well try to do something productive. I don't remember how long I sat there perfectly still in the firelight, but I do know that Sango had to shake me from my thoughts. Looking at her face, I give her a questioning glance when I notice the very frightened eyes she has trained on me. Soon, the look is replaced with wariness and she replies to my silent question.

"You have been sitting in the same exact spot without moving for over an hour now. I was scared you were slipping away from us." Smiling toward Sango, I do my best to assure her that while I still don't fully grasp the situation and everything that has happened thus far, I have no intention of going anywhere. Once I see her visibly relax, I rise from the ground, determined to get far enough away from camp that should my control slip, my power and the debris that follows will not endanger the lives of my friends.

I notice Miroku and Sango give each other fearful glances out the corner of my eye and finally I can't take it anymore, so temper fueling my actions, I round on them with every intention of telling them exactly how much I appreciate their looks of concern, but they can shove them up their asses for all I care at the moment, but then their wide eyes and open mouths quickly halt everything I had planned to say. Warily, looking behind me and seeing nothing, I whirl back around and screech in indignation.

"What the hell was that look for? You scared me half to death, making me think something behind me wanted to eat me for supper!"

Once again they give each other a hesitant glance, as if they are keeping something from me. Burning hot fury bursts forth in my veins and I can suddenly feel my aura whipping about me in a deadly dance. Narrowing my eyes at the two before me, I close the distance between us in only a moment and am satisfied in their quick intakes of breath, that I have indeed startled them. Determined to get some answers, I speak with deadly intent. Something in the back of my mind tells me this is not right, that these are my friends and I would never harm them in anyway, but I disregard the quiet whisper in favor of seeing the two before me desperately trying to hide their wariness and unease.

"What haven't you told me about the events of last night and this morning that would make you feel such unease in my presence? Why do you share looks of indecision and fear when you think I can't see you?"

Encouraged that I am right in my speculations when I see their looks of shock and amazement, I stand before them unperturbed as I wait for my answers. Miroku overcomes his shock first and puts his hands out in front of his body, trying to placate me. Seeing my frown in response to his actions, he drops his hands quickly and speaks.

"Kagome, we are merely worried about you. You should be dead, I felt you die and yet even now, here you stand as if nothing happened. The Kami must have a great destiny in store for you for them to have spared you this night. Look to your side. The four bloody gashes that were there only a few hours ago are no longer visible. Whatever that destiny may be, know that Sango and I will follow you to the very depths of hell and if need be, we will lift you up to ascend the steps to Nirvana. Regardless of your journey ahead, you will never be alone. You have been a light for us when all others had diminished and we vow to do the same for you."

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, I glance to Sango and cannot help the genuine smile that lights my face when I see the same honest sincerity on her face as well. Wrapping them in a fierce hug of gratitude, I whisper my thanks, before once again turning toward my original target. If I was truly dead and my soul had indeed left my body, even for a moment, then my spiritual powers should either be nonexistent, or have little to no effect. Of course, because I am very much alive, one must assume that my soul is indeed intact and there should be nothing out of the ordinary with this test.

A few minutes later, I am slowly but surely walking away from our campground and toward the clearing just past the trees that surround our resting place. Tossing a grateful look over my shoulder at the monk that is only a few steps behind me in case I start to fall; I turn toward the nearest tree and take a deep breath.

Closing my eyes, I begin the long trek into my very core. The journey is perilous if you know not what you are doing. Kaede once told me that if I wasn't careful when trying to summon the power from where it lay dormant until called upon, I could lose myself in the process. My body would become an empty shell and my very soul would be lost forever in an endless void, surrounded by nothing and never get the opportunity to reincarnate as nature intended. Of course, now that I think about it, I have a terrible feeling that the void I just woke from was eerily similar to what I imagine the void in my soul should I lose my way, would look like.

Delving deep into the very depths of my being, I look with my incorporeal eyes and see the blue violet brightness of my power coiling around a brilliant white shining light that I have always assumed is my eternal soul, although the amount of power has been drastically increased, but that is a worry for another day as at least I now know I am whole and have not been left defenseless.

Happiness swelling at the realization that I have not lost my soul or my power, I feel a heavy weight mysteriously lift off my shoulders. Now, determined to use the power I felt within, I relax my body and calm my mind. Reaching inside myself, I call upon my power and am relieved when I feel it bubble to the surface. Opening my eyes once I have the energy within balanced, I aim a spiritual blast and release it, focusing on the center of the large oak before me. Watching in mild fascination, I feel more than see my energy come into contact with its intended target. Suddenly, an explosion of color dances before my eyes that is so bright, I have no choice, but to look away. Once the pain is at a more manageable level, I open my eyes and blink them several times. Feeling the pain recede further and the blurriness fade, I glance at my handiwork and nearly yell in fright when I see the tree hanging over my body held seemingly by nothing, but air.

It is then I notice my aura flaring wildly around me. Shocked to discover that I am not only responsible for destroying the tree, but also for somehow holding it suspended in the air, without much effort I might add, I move as quickly as my stiff limbs will allow and once I am safely a good distance away, I release my aura and watch bemused and a little shaken as it falls to the forest floor.

Looking around for any witnesses to my little display, however unusual, I come face to face with a pale, shocked hanyou, who looks like he's seen a ghost. Debating whether or not I should yell "Boo!" just to watch him for a reaction, I decide against it when I see him reach for me as if half expecting to pass right through. Taking pity on him, I lean into his caress and smile shyly when his eyes widen to comical proportions.

Suddenly, my vision is hazy. An encroaching darkness becomes my prison, a pulsing red begins to replace the surrounding void and then I see trees flying past me as I reach speeds I could never dream. Harsh panting breaths are sounding in the distance. A distinct smell of fear permeates the surrounding forest and it intoxicates me with its' thick aroma. Smiling wickedly, I quickly trap my prey and savor the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that flows through me when she looks upon me with eyes awash with fear and utter defeat. She knows I have won. I stalk closer and the thundering of her heartbeat becomes a delectable melody to my ears. As she begins to tremble before me, I pause in my advance of her to look over my snack before all the life has been greedily devoured.

Rather ordinary, she is small in stature, nearly two heads shorter than I and weighing no more than a small sapling at most, she is just another woman that would have wondered into the woods and never returned to her village. Everyone will assume she has been attacked by a wild youkai and this time they would be correct. Shimmering too quickly for her to see, I am upon her before she can open her mouth to scream her terror. Fangs lengthening considerably, I pierce her neck with vigor and am rewarded for my efforts as her life's blood pours into my mouth and down my throat. It soothes me on such a primal level that I am once again at peace with myself, if only until my euphoric blood high abates.

Once I have satiated my hunger and my belly is full of her warm life giving honey, I glance into her glassy brown eyes and the face reflected is not mine. Shocked, I watch as Velenor, the demon from last night, winks wickedly at his reflection. If I didn't know any better, I would say he knows I'm watching him. Oh my God! What if he does? Could he have a connection to me now? What really happened last night? Am I a vampire? Encroaching darkness surrounds my vision once again and then just as suddenly as it appeared, the vision fades.

Alright everyone! That is the end of this chapter, I hope I didn't disappoint and sorry for the cliffy, but I like to leave you wanting more. If you liked it please review. I hope to hear from you soon. I will not hold the next chapter's hostage for lack of response, but if I don't get any reviews telling me if anyone likes this story I will probably just lose interest in it and discontinue. As always, thanks for reading and see you next time.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all! Welcome to the new installment of Blood for Blood. If you enjoy the story thus far I would love to hear from you and even if you hate it, please review and tell me why. I love constructive criticism as it helps to improve my writing

As always, I do not own Inuyasha and company, otherwise I would be having an illicit affair with the Inu brothers. Hee, hee….

Once again, a special thanks go out to Sada, Paganstar21 and my cousin Diana for all their thoughts, encouraging words and fabulous gifts of persuasion that kept me writing when I wanted nothing more than to quit. You three are so much more than a beta to me. You inspire me to write so much more than I thought I was capable of. Without you, this would not be here and I would still have such a bad case of writer's block, that I never thought I would write again. Much love to you my muses.

Blood for Blood

Chapter 3

Interesting Revelations

Taking in my surroundings, I realize I am on my knees in the dirt. Breathing harshly, I can feel small beads of sweat trickling down my back and gathering at my brow. My vision is still hazy and the scene that just flashed before my eyes was so real, I can taste the blood of his kill, as if it coated my throat and filled my belly. What the hell is wrong with me? Then all the memory I have regained begins to slip through my fingers just as suddenly as it came. Damn!

Eyes seeking the comforting amber of my hanyou friend, I am glad to see them looking into mine with a mixture of concern and anxiety. He never did know how to handle anything that wasn't right in front of him so he could wave his sword around like a lunatic. Laughing softly to myself at my inner thoughts, I slowly begin to rise from my fallen position and smile in thanks when Inuyasha grabs my arm to help me steady myself.

His soft voice full of repressed agony, which I can only assume is from when he thought I was dead this morning, suddenly shocks me out of my thoughts.

"Kagome, are….are you…um….alright now?"

Giving into the impulse to wrap my arms around him, I latch onto him tightly and whisper "yes" into his twitching ears, before letting go and stepping back to give him the room his pride will require. Seeing the arrogant smirk replace the apprehension from only moments ago, I smile at the familiarity of the gesture and begin to walk toward camp when the pulse of a massive demonic aura comes into my sensory range.

Whirling around in frustration at the interruption, I call upon my power and am not disappointed when it comes to my aide. Raising my hands before me in a defensive stance, I cup my palms together and create a ki blast that will be sure to get my point across and wait as patiently as possible for the demon to appear. Of course, should he prove to be unstable or difficult, I will simply release my reiki upon mine enemy and watch him turn to ash floating away on the breeze.

Bracing myself for our encounter, Inuyasha unsheathes Tetssaiga and stands before me so that he will take the brunt of the attack, should this demon not listen to reason or simply attack without provocation. Stiffening suddenly, I realize that this is the energy of none other than Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands come to pay us a visit, however unwelcome and I cannot help the growl that leaves my lips at the absolute audacity he has. Surely he has once again decided to pay us a visit so that he can threaten us into submission, but he is truly delusional if he thinks that I will ever back down to him.

Coming to a stop three feet in front of us, his figure demands respect and the jyaki surrounding him is ominously oppressing. The power behind his aura is truly stifling and even though I should be shaking in my sandals, I simply am unafraid. Perhaps that is what makes him so mad most of the time, but for reasons unbeknownst to me, I cannot summon the will to be frightened. His piercing golden eyes are narrowed and looking straight at me as if challenging me to defy him once more. As if I need anymore encouragement.

His eyes narrow almost imperceptively and were I a lesser being I am sure I would have missed this action. Smirking in satisfaction that the ever stoic demon lord has just given away a hint at his displeasure, I look toward Inuyasha and am disappointed to see that he is leaving my side in favor of trying to disembowel his brother. Frowning at his approach to everything and already knowing the outcome, I wait patiently as he lunges toward Sesshomaru and I am shocked to notice that for the first time, I'm able to see them as they move.

Normally, I would be watching a white and red blur move in front of me, but now I can clearly see every detail. I wonder why I didn't notice my sharper vision before. Could I have simply brushed it aside as I tried to gain some semblance of understanding about the events that led up to this point? That has to be it. Needless to say I'm speechless; watching every dodge, every punch and every claw hit and miss. I never knew how truly beautiful their fights could be. It is a deadly dance between brothers and I'm being hypnotized by their every move.

Something else I'm noticing for the first time is that while Sesshomaru clearly has the upper hand and seems to have the uncanny ability to predict every move Inuyasha is going to make, he does not take half the opportunities he is presented with. I can also see that he uses his poison, but the last second before impact, he absorbs it back into his claws and so there is very little to do any substantial damage to Inuyasha through the fire rat haori. Finding all these observations extremely interesting considering Sesshomaru has been saying that Inuyasha's life belongs to him and no one will take it and live to tell the tale should they disobey him; I decide to make my presence known as they come to a momentary halt in their battle.

Bracing myself for the fight to come on both sides because Inuyasha will not take kindly to my interruption, I spread my reiki between outstretched palms in a wide arc and flare my aura in agitation. Smirking in satisfaction when both Inu brothers turn in my direction, I glare down Inuyasha and focus my attention on the formidable foe before me. Apparently, sensing my preoccupation with his brother, Inuyasha begins to growl out a warning for me to back off. Glaring in his direction, I refuse to back down.

"Inuyasha, you know better than I do what Sesshomaru is capable of. If you piss him off, we will be set back from hunting shards for over a week while you recover from the whole in your chest. Now let me finish this and we can get back to shard hunting."

Seeing Sesshomaru narrow his eyes at me, I smirk haughtily in his direction and watch as his jyaki begins to rise at the insinuation that a mere human deems herself worthy of fighting him.

Stepping closer to the infamous Inu lord, I let my aura flare again as he narrows his eyes in what I can only assume is disdain or perhaps disgust.

"So Inuyasha, you would have me fight your bitch in your stead? Can you not even control her before your betters? Must I lower myself to killing your miko bitch as well?"

"Do not think that I am a mere ningen woman easily to be defeated. Though you are a formidable opponent, underestimate me and you will not live to regret it."

Snarling in outrage that I have spoken to him not only as an equal, but also with a clearly implied threat, his whip appears suddenly, along with the distinct sweet acrid smell of his poison. Knowing what to expect as I have seen him use this on numerous occasions, I quickly form a barrier around myself and smile in satisfaction when his whip dissolves against it.

Dropping my barrier afterward, I gather my power and once again form an arc in front of my person. Concentrating, I send it toward Sesshomaru in a whirlwind of holy energy. Focusing my mind, I move it without a second thought to follow him as he moves swiftly to avoid being purified. Seeing his eyes widen in disbelief at the level of power I am currently displaying, he changes tactics suddenly and I am forced to jump away quickly before I am shredded into Kagome shish kabob's by his claws.

Hearing a loud growl of aggravation, I laugh lightly in response to it. I cannot help myself. This is Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. He doesn't miss and if he wants you dead, that is always how you find yourself, but somehow I am easily dodging his every attack. My powers have grown exponentially and I haven't the faintest idea how this could happen, except for the slight lapse of memory and the blood I woke up covered in. Of course, should I truly want to know what happened to me last night, all I need do is touch my neck and all will be revealed. Those two puncture wounds mean I was bitten and I can only assume that the copper taste I could have sworn I felt on my tongue while in that void is Velenor's blood. If that is the case, then I am to become the undead. Fuck!

Deciding that I need to track down Velenor as soon as possible, I duck quickly to avoid Sesshomaru's claws once again and then I back track to land on the far side of the clearing. I feel his jyaki grow to painful levels and then the amber of his eyes start to bleed red. Knowing that I have officially pissed off the Taiyoukai, I glance toward Inuyasha and see that he has a frightened look on his face and there is shock emanating from his aura. Not knowing whether he is frightened of what I have become or if he is afraid of what Sesshomaru is planning to do to me, I do the only thing I can think of on such short notice.

Calling forth my reiki, I gather it into a powerful energy blast, focus my attack to hit Sesshomaru squarely in the chest and concentrate my aura to counter anything he might throw this way in the midst of my release. Letting go, I summon iron will to do my bidding as I unleash my attack and pray to any Kami listening that I do not fail.

Determined to make sure that if I am to die this day, I will leave behind an unforgettable impression on both Inu brothers, I push more power into my aura and double the strength of my attack moments before impact. Seeing Sesshomaru perfectly still as if waiting for death or extremely confident in his abilities, I refuse to back down. I know that if we were in opposite positions, he would not hesitate and so nor will I.

Apparently, he can see the sheer determination in my eyes because at the very last second he moves out of the way and my energy flies past him harmlessly. Gathering more energy when I see him rounding on me again, I am shocked to see the red fading from his amber orbs and even more shocked when I see a devilishly handsome smirk on his face and a warmth in his eyes I have never been graced with. By the God's he is the most handsome male I have ever had the pleasure of looking upon.

Shaking away my dirty thoughts as they will do me no good in this situation, I pull my power back into me with all the grace I can manage and smile softly when I feel it settle within my soul again. I don't think I will ever truly get used to that feeling. It is a vast emptiness that suddenly fills to the very brim and the feel of it is as nothing I could ever possibly describe in words.

Such peace and love, I feel as if I am overflowing with it; I could drown in the sensations of such joy and serenity. Unknowingly, I begin to glow with the strength of the feelings flowing within my veins. My power begins to pulse around me in waves of such magnitude, that I am shocked when I see the Taiyoukai before me begin to back away. Realizing that I must be hurting him at the moment, although it is not my intention, I concentrate on pulling the power back into my body and am pleasantly surprised when it returns, without so much as a hint of concentration. It has always been a difficult task to try and control the power within, now apparently; I no longer have that particular problem.

Smiling contently, I look toward where I last saw Inuyasha and frown when he is no longer there. Glancing around the clearing thoughtfully, I look to where Sesshomaru stood last and am strangely comforted when I see he is still there. His voice suddenly washes over me and I start in surprise when it makes me shudder in pleasure. Confused at my response when it has never happened to me before, I look to him again and try to concentrate on what he is saying at the same time.

"He left as quickly as he could when you began to exude a massive amount of holy energy. I have never felt energy that pure before and I assure you I have faced many monks and miko's determined to make a name for themselves by trying to purify me. What has happened since last we met to cause such a change in your power? While it has always been pure, now it is much more so and drastically more powerful."

Um…..he just said that I am more powerful than I was two days ago when he attacked us for Tetssaiga…..I might just believe that because of the tree incident from earlier, but I'm not so sure about the being more pure thing. How could that be possible?

Obviously my confusion is showing on my face because Sesshomaru again opens his mouth to let that sinfully delicious voice caress my body like a lover and I can't help the shudder that passes through me. Trying to keep him from noticing my little problem, I call forth my power to hopefully mask my scent so he can't use it against me.

Apparently my efforts were too late because he gets this wicked grin on his face and then he moves so quickly I don 't have enough time to blink before he is inches from my face, his warm breathe tickling my flushed skin. Desperately trying to muffle the startled 'eep' from bursting from my mouth, I cover it as fast as my feeble human body can manage in his presence and do my best to reclaim what little dignity I have left when his hearty chuckle reaches my reddened ears. The flush that covers my face is no doubt as red as a ripe tomato and I will be damned if I let him smell my arousal on top of my mounting embarrassment and his obvious amusement at my expense.

So, gathering my wits about me, I open a channel within my center and call forth my power. As it bubbles to the surface, I look into Sesshomaru's face for a reaction and what I see there is definitely not what I had expected…..ever. His eyes are smoldering, as if I am something delicious on the menu……um…what am I supposed to do now?

I smirk devilishly as I smell her embarrassment and arousal. Perhaps this ningen woman is attracted to this Sesshomaru; it surely wouldn't be the first time a woman fell at this Sesshomaru's feet. Taking a deep breath, I nearly groan at the intoxicating effect her scent has on my body almost immediately and before I can help myself, I am within inches of her delicious scent. She blushes becomingly and then puts her hand over her mouth quickly stifling her gasp of surprise at my actions.

Then to my utter astonishment, she begins to call forth her power and if it's possible, her scent spikes so much I lose my breath at the sheer force of it overwhelming me. I can feel my beast clawing at his restraints and I am helpless to contain him as her purity and innocence become so pungent, I can taste them in the air itself. Shaking internally at my reaction to the vixen before me, I look to her as my next meal and her uncertain reaction nearly proves my undoing.

Not knowing what else to do, I try to overcome my embarrassment in the face of this new revelation. I wonder what suddenly made him react like that… Could it have been my power? But, that doesn't make much sense because I was just using it a few minutes ago…unless it's my arousal…..EEP! Nearly jumping at that thought, my eyes fly to his face and see that the irises of his once golden orbs are lined with black and his eyes are outlined in a blood red that is slowly beginning to leak into what is left of the beautiful amber.

Eyes as wide as possible in surprise and just a hint of excitement, I stand completely still, as if held down by heavy weights. My limbs won't function properly and I cannot focus enough of my muddled thoughts to call forth my reiki. What if this is a trap to let my guard down? What if he is just waiting for me to fall to my knees and beg for all the things his eyes promise to do to me? Do something Kagome! You are not the useless ningen woman everyone believes you to be! This is your chance to prove yourself to everyone, especially Inuyasha!

Watching the different emotions flash across her face, I realize suddenly that I will never be bored with her animated expressions to keep me entertained. Such passion and conviction in one as lowly as a human woman should not exist and yet here she stands, one of the most noble, caring, passionate and powerful creatures I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her features finally settle on sheer determination and the spike in her scent indicating an attack gives me enough control over the beast to reign him in just in time to prepare a defense.

Thoughts centered on proving to Inuyasha that I am not as helpless as he thinks and I can take care of myself, I straighten my back and narrow my eyes, determined to show Sesshomaru too, that I am not weak. A massive surge of excitement courses through my veins and with it a massive surge of power. Everyone always told me that my power reacted to my emotions; I never fully believed them until now. Bracing myself for whatever comes, I spread my hands out in front of me and watch the blue violet power arc between them in anticipation for release.

Seeing the red begin to fade from Sesshomaru's eyes tells me that he is gaining control of his beast and his reason, which sets me at ease and disappoints me all at the same time, but before I can puzzle over these conflicting emotions within, I am forced to push them aside to answer the threat of this very angry demon lord in front of me. Apparently he doesn't like the fact that he lost control of his demon, or assumes I did something to make him. These thoughts and more race through my head as I dart to the right in a wide birth of his attack reach, so as not to accrue any unwanted damage before turning sharply on my heal and unleashing a large energy wave that a few days ago would have made me feint.

Feeling her power surge forth, I brace myself for the battle to come and ready my whip. A beautiful blue arc of unbridled power comes to her hands and she begins to playfully spread it between her outstretched palms and I cannot help the pride I suddenly feel at her amount of control. She seems to see my fascination, but mistakes it for anger and decides to use it to her advantage because suddenly I am nearly purified. If I didn't have such control over my abilities, I would not be here to curse myself internally for not paying attention to my enemy. Using my whip, I swiftly counter her attack, but note with satisfaction how powerful that blast was. A lesser being would be ash in the wind.

Finally believing what he said earlier for the truth, I watch in mild fascination as he dodges my energy with a flick of his wrist and his acid whip. Disappointed that my attack could be so easily tossed aside, I gather more reiki and create another large energy ball. Bracing myself for the shockwave that will probably throw me into a tree when I'm done, I glance toward my target and see that he is standing a few feet in front of me with Tokijin drawn in his usual attack pose for unleashing the dragon strike.

Feeling her call forth her power once more, I unsheathe Tokijin and ready myself for her next attack. While I do not want to kill the miko, I will punish her for assuming I would be so easily defeated. Seeing her gather a large energy ball, I use Tokijin as a shield to deplete the majority of the attack and when the sting on my skin gets to be painful, I leap out of reach. I am transfixed as she begins to glow with a power unique to her being and yet furious as once her power spikes again, my beast nearly tears through all the barriers surrounding him. Not fully able to comprehend the significance of such an occurrence, I sheath my sword and watch as she dispels her energy.

Seeing Sesshomaru put his sword away, I take a leap of faith and release the energy I gathered back into my body. He turns quickly and begins to walk away, but not before turning his head just enough so that I am graced with his deliciously sinful voice once more before he is gone.

"Miko, the level of skill you have shown will greatly increase your chances of survival when you face Naraku. Remember what this Sesshomaru taught you this day and you might survive long enough to become useful in the final battle."

I turn and walk swiftly in the opposite direction as the miko, but not before telling her that she has done well, but still has much to improve before the battle with Naraku. At her swift nod of understanding, I once again turn in the direction of my lands and summon my jyaki, transforming to my orb of demonic energy, determined to make it to the Western Lands by nightfall.

He turns once more and then his jyaki spikes in the air around me, causing my body to shudder involuntarily. He becomes an orb of light before flying off in the distance and I cannot help the fleeting thought that is desperate to get away from here, even for just a moment, regardless of the company, before that stray thought is pushed to the far corners of my mind.

Turning toward camp once I can no longer feel the jyaki of the demon lord, I breathe a least this time I came out intact, but next time I might not be so lucky, so thinking hard for a few minutes with an open mind, I come to the simple conclusion that I need help. So, abruptly I change direction and head deep into the forest, far away from the safety of camp. Feeling the aura of the person I need to see, however unpleasant this meeting will be, I gather my wits about me and do the unthinkable.

Steeling my resolve and disgust kept tightly in check, I walk into the clearing I know is inhabited by the very person I would rather never see again. Knowing that I have no other choice, I determinedly walk toward the figure leaning against a large oak and when I am standing only a few feet away; I get down on my knees and prostrate myself in front of the last person I wished to see as this moment in time.

Once I feel I have thoroughly satisfied her ego, I lift my upper body and refuse to meet her gloating eyes. I might need her help, but I refuse to beg and if she will not give me the lessons I require, there are many more that could train me, although she would be best, considering our past. So, taking a deep breath, I lift my eyes to hers and see something I never thought I would. Her eyes are not full of mirth, but pain and regret and my loving heart cannot help reaching out to her.

Rising from my position before my brain can fully comprehend my actions, I am embracing her with as much compassion and concern I can muster for the one I hold in my arms. She immediately stiffens at my touch and for a moment I think she will pull away, but then she does something else I am not prepared for. She leans into my hold and begins to sob uncontrollably. Not knowing what else to do, I rock her lightly and whisper comforting words that I will not be able to recall later.

Minutes pass and she slowly regains control of herself. Pulling slightly out of my embrace, she smiles slightly and my eyes go wide. This smile has much feeling and my heart of heart recognizes the mirror image of my body and soul. This is no longer the unfeeling golem I remember having encountered on numerous occasions. This woman is no longer being controlled by hate and revenge, but regret and compassion. It is at this moment I remember what happened the last time we met.

She was dieing, lying in a pool of miasma with a gaping wound in her chest where Naraku had tried to sever her life. Her soul collectors had brought me to her and asked me to make a choice and being the kind hearted person I am, I couldn't turn my back on her when I had the chance and the power to save her, but when I was in the pool with her, surrounded by the poison leaking from her body and desperately trying to purify it, there was a moment of clarity in the darkness that demanded more. It was a strong sense of foreboding telling me that if I didn't purge her body and the miasma within, much more would be lost.

Determined not to fail, I succeeded in dispersing the poison and made her whole once again. But it wasn't enough. Her body was wasting away without the souls of the dead to strengthen her. So I did the only thing I could do at the time because I wasn't prepared for her to die. I gave her another part of my soul. For weeks afterward I was afraid she would come back for more. That what I had given her would make her greedy for the other half, but when nearly a month passed and I didn't see her again, I relaxed my fears and moved on.

Now, I realize that I didn't make a conscious decision as to what part of my soul I gave her, but I also didn't just pull out whatever came to mind, Maybe I'm not making much sense, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that apparently what I gave her was some of the compassion and love I carry within me at all times and for all beings. The proof of that statement is currently staring me in the face. Suddenly realizing I have been holding her for a while now and also beginning to feel her uncomfortable shifting, I release my hold on her and take a step back.

Her eyes are still brimming with tears, but she has control of her emotions at the moment, so I decide to ask her what I came here for originally and am rewarded with her apt attention.

"Kikyo, I know that you and I have never really gotten along and that you probably don't want anything to do with me, but I need to be trained fully in handling my powers, otherwise there could be more trouble than you or I are prepared to handle when the time comes to defeat Naraku. I beg you, please, put aside our feelings of distrust and help me become a worthy guardian of the Shikon as you once were."

Becoming nervous when she doesn't answer for a few minutes, I start to shift from one foot to the other, slowly coming to the end of my patience and almost doing something I would regret later, but thankfully she saves me from myself and answers my heartfelt plea.

"I will train you in harnessing your powers, but do not expect it to be easy. We must do this quickly and quietly. I will teach you everything you need to know in less than half the time I had to learn it and let us hope that it will be enough. Prepare yourself, Kagome, for this will be the greatest test of your strength and your will."

Alright everyone. That is the end of the third installment of Blood for Blood. I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, drop me a line and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Until next time…..


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there everyone. Thanks for waiting and I am sorry this is later than I usually post, but I had a few things come up and had no choice, but to postpone this story. Thank you to all of you who reviewed…they gave me the inspiration to get this chapter out as soon as possible and I promise that I will try to update as often as possible. Now that that's over with, I just want to say that I do NOT own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries within. Now that only leaves me to say thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

As always, a special thanks go out to Sada, Paganstar21, and my cousin Diana for helping me to aspire to so much more than I thought myself capable of. My muses are truly magnificent creatures and without them, I would be lost. Your thoughts and ideas truly keep me going. Much love to you.

Blood for Blood

Chapter 4

Training is full of Unexpected Surprises

Rising from my kneeling position, I step away from the priestess before me and immediately feel my shoulders begin to relax. Her answer to my request being the catalyst for the sag in my body and now that all the built up tension in my muscles has been released, I feel a great weight leave me and release the breath I had been unconsciously holding. Sitting before the woman in expectant anxiety, determined to prove that I am not a failure and that at some point I will be strong enough to become a force to be reckoned with, I am patient as I wait for her to begin training me.

Apparently, whatever I am doing is enough for her to begin my lessons because she rises from her seated position against the great oak before me and makes a motion for me to stand as well. Maybe she was just waiting to see if I can sit still for a few minutes or if I have enough patience to even be worth the effort to train. Regardless, she looks me over quietly for a moment and then speaks with a hard glint in her voice.

"Prepare yourself for an attack miko. I will use my powers to immobilize you and you must quickly counter it if you wish to live." Swiftly removing a katana from her side, she moves her hand before her and a flash of light is all the warning I have before I am encased in a powerful barrier. She comes at me with much more speed than I would ever have given her credit for and I react on instinct as I see the sword begin a downward descent toward my head. Feeling my reiki flare about me, I push Kikyo's powers away from my body with enough force to have it collide with her own and duck quickly to the left of her, just before being sliced in half.

Now that I am right beside her, I use my powers to immobilize her in much the same fashion and once satisfied that she cannot break free, I conjure a sword with my reiki and smile in delight when it forms. Perhaps I do not require help from this dead miko after all. Lunging forward, I see that her eyes are wide in surprise and then the hard glint of determination lights her face and she breaks free of my hold as easily as I did, all the while blocking my attack with her katana. Grinning wickedly at her, I move to swipe her midsection when she feints sharply to the right and tries to take off a leg. Knowing what she will do before it happens, I am prepared at the last second before impact. Jumping over her crouched form, I straighten myself and lower my sword to her exposed neck.

Her body stiffens at the contact and then she ducks quickly to the side again and with the flick of her wrist my sword disappears and I flash an irritated scowl. Determined to prove that I will not so easily be defeated, I bring forth my ki in a large swirl of power between my outstretched palms and mold it into a long spear. Her surprise at my abilities sends a thrill of satisfaction up my spine before I push it aside for more enjoyable activities. Throwing the long spear with deadly intent, I am thoroughly disappointed when it misses, but brush off the feeling in favor of dodging her katana. Rolling to the side and then crouching low, I bring more reiki to my hands and form a dagger while ducking another swing of her katana before springing into action and pouncing on Kikyo's unprotected side. Apparently, she could sense my approach and intentions, so she spun quickly out of attack range before gathering her own ki within an outstretched palm.

Blowing on her hand to give her attack the extra spark she is looking for, Kikyo watches in fascination as her reiki spreads across her palm like wildfire before expanding exponentially, heading straight for me. Knowing that there will be no escape from this, I gather energy to the tips of my fingers and draw it around myself in a large barrier. Hoping she won't be able to break through it for a few seconds, I draw upon the power I feel just under the surface and cup it in the palm of my hand. Focusing as much as I can under the strain of her power, I form a large discus with little effort and let it fly with deadly accuracy. I never held a bow before coming to the feudal era, but I was always damn good at throwing a Frisbee. Feeling the power of her energy diminish considerably under my assault, I remove my barrier and roll aside as her ki tries to swallow me.

Standing under the strength of her will, I smile grimly as I feel her try to force more energy into her attack. Feeling the power swell around me in a whirlwind of holy energy, I brace myself against it and with a wave of my hand, send my swirling discus of reiki back toward its intended target, determined to take her down with me if I cannot win. Her assault comes to a screeching halt as my discus comes within an inch of her face and she immediately rolls to the left in a desperate attempt to get as far away from my attack as possible and then she too creates a large energy attack in the shape of a basketball and sends it toward me with as much force as she is able while still trying to dodge my power. Seeing her throw the large energy ball, I quickly sidestep it at the last minute and again flick my wrist in an outward ark and am satisfied when my discus goes behind Kikyo in a deadly sweep of her figure. She must have felt the energy from my ki just at the last moment, because she too sidestepped my attack and they both came toward each other far too fast for either Kikyo or myself to call the reiki back within ourselves and so each of us are the only witnesses to the massive resulting explosion.

Glancing toward Kikyo in mild amusement, I am satisfied to see that she too is just as disheveled and sweaty as me. Getting up from my crouched position, I brush off my miko hakama and haori set, curiously given to me by none other than Kikyo herself, and begin to walk toward her. My steps are prideful as I make my way toward the only other miko that is my match in power. Although, I am jolted to awareness when I feel another presence in the clearing we used to do battle, I act as if nothing has changed. Reaching Kikyo, I give her a wary look and see that she too has wariness in her features. Glad that I am not imagining things, I use my eyes to demonstrate that we should split up and circle around our intruder to confront him from the rear. With a nod of her head, she darts to the left as quickly as her tired body can and I do the same to the right. I feel our presence begin to move slightly to the right, as if to flee and I immediately pick up my pace. I will not let whoever saw our little demonstration get the news back to Naraku that I have grown exponentially in my powers. That is a surprise I plan to give the hanyou myself and I will be damned if I am beaten to it by the demonic presence off to my immediate left.

Turning sharply when I feel the demonic aura begin to backtrack and try to make its escape, I come face to face with the one demon I thought I would never see without a trace of fear and contempt within me. Standing before me is none other than the dog demon lord of the West and my reaction is apparently not something he appreciates as he begins to stalk forward. Smirking at his attempt to threaten, I wink playfully in his direction and then I gather some reiki within my palm and proceed to blow him a very satisfying kiss. Watching in delight, his jyaki pulses in a warning manner before my reiki comes into contact with it. I smile in challenge when I feel his jyaki begin to diminish under my assault and he immediately growls at me as if I would buckle under the weight of his displeasure. Frowning in disgust, I gather more reiki into my palm and bring it to my lips once more. This time, I breathe in the reiki before kissing my palm. Noticing his rigid stature, I determine that he is waiting to see what I will do. Turning my palm to the demon before me, I begin to exhale my ki into the air. His surrounding jyaki all but disperses immediately and I smile is satisfaction when I feel that I have diminished his jyaki by half without coming within ten feet of his position. He again growls his displeasure and I decide that I am fed up with his apparent lack of conversational skills.

"Tell me Sesshomaru, do you spy on all the miko's in this province or am I just lucky?"

His growl of warning once again goes unheeded and I step closer to his person when he steps toward me as if to attack. He halts his forward momentum and speaks, the bestial quality of his voice telling me he is far closer to letting his beast free than I originally assumed. "Do not presume to ascertain what this Sesshomaru was doing within the vicinity of your petty squabble. To put your pathetic human mind at ease, know that this Sesshomaru would never stoop so low as to 'spy' on one such as you. I was merely coming back from patrolling my lands when I felt a sharp increase of holy energy in the clearing ahead. I came to investigate and saw you and the dead miko behind me fighting." As he says the last part, he turns his gaze sharply to gaze over his shoulder and his eyes flash red in warning at the undead miko trying to sneak up on him without his knowledge. He scoffs at the ridiculous notion that one such as this undead witch would believe herself able to catch him by surprise.

Kikyo walks calmly into the dense foliage surrounding us and passes Sesshomaru without so much as a backward glance, Sesshomaru's gaze never leaving her person. He apparently does not enjoy being ignored because his growls of warning grow in strength, but he does nothing. Once she is safely by my side, he continues his little speech. "I was hoping that you would kill each other, but suffice it to say, that this world is full of disappointments." That being said, he begins to walk toward us and we just stand there. Should he attack, one of us will purify him long before he can get away. Before he is out of earshot, I speak to him as he disappears into the surrounding foliage. "Please tell no one of what you saw here today Sesshomaru. I intend on giving Naraku the surprise of his life the next time we meet." I look in his direction for a sign he understands what I have said and the slight nod of his head is my answer. He might not be the nicest demon I have ever met, but he is the most honorable.

Once I can no longer feel his jyaki in the surrounding area, I turn toward Kikyo and await her verdict. I am confident she will finish my training, but I refuse to move until she tells me herself. She glances in my direction for only a moment, but in that space of time, she says one word that tells me we have some work to do. "Come." That being said, she begins the trek through the woods to arrive at the clearing once more. Coming to a stop before the large oak she rested on when I first arrived, she sits underneath its wide girth and the shade of its leaves and gestures for me to do the same. Once I am situated and she deems that I am comfortable enough to continue, she leans toward my position and whispers so that no one near us can hear her words. "There are three of Naraku's insects hovering in the air above this tree. I know that they were not here when we were battling, but I do not know exactly when they arrived. I can only assume that the massive reiki in the area drew them to our location. We cannot continue our training with them there. They must be destroyed, otherwise Naraku will know what our plans for attacking him are and that cannot be allowed." Nodding to her slightly, we each flick our wrists toward the demon wasps and smile in satisfaction when they implode from the power thrown at them.

Concentrating for a moment, a soul collector appears before Kikyo a few minutes later. With a slight nod of her head, she turns to me. "You must write a letter to Inuyasha and your friends telling them of your plans to train with me, but do so in a cryptic way that only they would understand, should Naraku or another enemy get a hold of your letter, that way they will not understand what you are relaying. Once you have finished, you will join me in meditation. I assume that you have what you will require to write your letter? Or do we need to travel to the nearby village to get the supplies?" I shake my head in the negative and walk toward the edge of the clearing where I first entered. Grabbing my yellow backpack, I dig through it until I find what I need and then sit down. Using my math book to my advantage, I write a quick letter to Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo, telling them I will be training with Kikyo for the next month to get total control over my reiki so that I have all the skills required of me to purify the jewel after the final battle. Once I am finished, I tell them all I love them and I will miss them while I am gone, but not to come looking for me and to continue their journey without me. When I am finished training, I will be able to harness my powers to search my surroundings to seek out their specific auras. Putting my supplies away when I finish, I stand quickly and carry my bag to lie on the other side at the base of the tree Kikyo is sitting under. Handing my letter to the soul collector that is waiting patiently, I quietly thank it for doing this for me and when it is out of eyesight, I once again sit before Kikyo and wait patiently for her to instruct me on what to do next.

Kikyo has all the skills required of her to be able to purify the jewel once it is whole. She had been trained to do these things since birth. I, on the other hand, never even knew the jewel existed until I was grabbed from Mistress Centipede and thrown down the well four years ago. Now that there are only a few shards left, aside from the large portion that Naraku carries, the time draws near for me to finish what little training I have so that if Kikyo should perish in the final battle, I will be able to finish what she could not.

There are many things I suppose I should have done a long time ago for my training, but with trying to live a double life and still managing to get decent enough grades to be able to pass Middle School and High School, while searching endlessly for the shards of the jewel I broke, there was very little time in between for me to train my ever growing power. Now that I have finished High School and come to the decision to postpone College until after the jewel is finished, I have much more time on my hands. I also know how much my power has grown in these years I have been here in the Sengoku Judai and if I do not train my body and soul to control and harness them, I will become very dangerous to myself and others, should I become unstable or unconscious, my reiki taking on a life of its own.

Whatever happened the other night, has made me realize that I have much to learn about my abilities and the only person that is alive, well close enough anyway, to help me is the miko sitting patiently before me. Velenor will be the next demon on my list of things to do when I am finished training, so I can figure out what he did to me. If all the stories from my time are true about Vampires and such though, then that means that I should be a vampire. He drank my blood, I still have the scars on my neck to prove it and if what I felt and tasted in the void before I first woke back in camp was even remotely accurate, then that means I drank of his blood as well. That clearly leads me to believe that I should be a demon, or turning into one, or something along those lines, but aside from the massive power boost, I do not feel any different. Well, I suppose that isn't completely true.

Before today, if anyone told me that I would go head to head with Kikyo and Sesshomaru on the same day and not only live to tell about it, but also be able to match them blow for blow, power for power, I would have told them to either go see a shrink, or gone to my time and retrieved a nice white jacket from the nearest insane asylum to bring back to them for a souvenir. Before today, I could never see the fights between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha with such clarity that it felt like I was in the fight right beside them. The strength of my vision improvement is astounding to say the least. Also, what Sesshomaru said to me earlier is bothering me. Can someone actually get more pure? Is that even possible? But if I am truly turning into a vampire, or blood demon, then why does the sunlight not bother me? Why do I not have a craving for blood? So many questions and so little answers; I desperately need to speak to Velenor. But since he is clearly out of my reach for the time being, perhaps Kikyo will know something about this. Maybe she can help me figure some things out.

That last thought bolsters my courage and I steel my resolve before turning my head to gaze upon her silent form. She has not moved since we first entered this clearing and I can only assume she is either meditating, or she has little energy left and is waiting patiently for her soul collectors to gather what she needs to sustain herself. There is only one way to find out though, so I clear my throat and wait patiently for her gaze to meet mine. A few moments pass and then she lifts her eyes to mine and raises her brow just slightly enough for me to know that she is waiting for me to say whatever it is I feel the need to tell her.

"Kikyo, there are some things that I am in desperate need of council for and I find myself needing to ask you. I hope you don't mind if I ask for your advice. If you do, please tell me and I won't bother you." She nods her head in acquiescence to my request and I feel a large part of the tension of apprehension leave me. Nodding my head in understanding, I tell her the shortened version of the events that transpired the night I have little memory. When she interrupts to ask questions, I give her as many answers that I can and then when I am finished, I await her reaction with dread and foreboding. There is nothing I can do about anything that has happened thus far, but I can only hope that she will have answers to some of the things that plague my thoughts and haunt my dreams. I saw her reactions when I told her about Velenor, or what I could remember of him anyway. She reacted in much the same manor when I spoke of my previous encounter with Sesshomaru as well. But the reaction I most fear is when I was speaking of what Sesshomaru told me after our encounter. When I said he told me I had much more power, she merely raised an eyebrow, but when I spoke of his comment about my being more pure, her eyes nearly bulged out of her face.

For tense minutes, I wait for anything, any kind of reaction to my words. None are forthcoming and I am beginning to fear the worst when she suddenly leans forward and touches my forehead with her pointer finger. My eyes grow considerably wide at her actions, but then my vision begins to fade and I forget everything else as images begin to fly through my mind. Times, places, people, all pass before me with no end in sight and I can do nothing but watch and hope that the nausea the scenes cause, will diminish. Taking a deep breath, I start to relax as I see the images begin to fade into the deep recesses of my mind. Relief floods my being when the fuzzy images are replaced with Kikyo's kneeling form and I release the breath I didn't realize I have been holding.

Kikyo rises from her position and begins to pace as though in deep thought. Not wanting to interrupt her, should she have some insight as to what is happening with me, I wait and watch hoping for some clarity in this chaotic drama I call life. After what seems like hours, she stops her pacing and turns to look straight as me. She narrows her eyes as though looking for something only she can see and I feel the first stirrings of apprehension flow through my veins when I feel her reiki spike in the air. Rising slowly from my sitting position, I too bring forth my ki. If we are going to fight, I will not go down easily. Kikyo looks at me as though she sees right through me for almost two minutes before she releases her gathered energy and it returns to the well of power she holds within her soul. Once the air is clear of any threat from her energy, I too release the power back into my soul.

She sits a second later and I follow her, determined to get some answers from her precarious actions from only moments ago. "Alright Kikyo, what the hell is going on? What have you discovered from your actions? And what can you tell me of my situation?" I sit before her anxiously for tense minutes before I begin to fidget and then suddenly she speaks into the quiet surrounding us and I nearly jump in surprise. I glance quickly to her face and see the amusement at my expense, but grudgingly accept it and wait for her words to register in my befuddled mind.

"There is much to say and so I will begin with the most important. If you are worrying about becoming a "Blood Demon, or Vampire" as you called them, you can put that fear to rest. There is absolutely no demonic taint in your aura and if you were going to change, you would already be showing signs. I know that you said your eyesight has vastly improved and your power has grown, but I can only assume those are the side effects of being bitten. Were you a normal human woman, I have no doubt that you would either be dead, or demon, but I believe your reiki turned whatever demonic taint that would have altered you physically and mentally to your advantage, while still keeping you pure of heart and soul. Were you not pure, your power would have left you or you would have become a dark miko, but you can clearly see that has not happened here. While even I can tell that your aura is vastly more pure and powerful, you are still very much a human miko. Now before you get all excited, a word of caution is in order. There are still many things that have yet to be answered in this situation and that can only mean that there could be even more side effects you have yet to encounter. Be wary and constantly alert to your surroundings until you have all the answers you seek. There is one thing I wish to know; how did you learn to harness your power so efficiently? Did you not tell me that you haven't trained?"

Smiling in relief at her answers, I then frown slightly when her questions take me slightly by surprise. In all actuality, I have been expecting those questions for a while now; I just didn't expect her to ask them right now. So, thinking about how I want to word my answers, I take a deep breath and give her as much of an answer as I am able. "Well, the only thing I can say for sure is that when I am in the heat of battle, my instincts take over and I do very little thinking, unless I am on the sidelines, in which case I am constantly analyzing different scenarios. As for the different attacks and such, I just go with the flow and imagine what needs to happen in my mind and then my reiki comes to my aide. It feels so utterly natural that it scares me sometimes. To think that I never even knew I had any sort of power, that there was a part of me missing, until I was dragged down the well on my fifteenth birthday, is hard to believe. I have never trained my reiki. The only things I know are just some simple spells and the uses of different herbs for poultices and such from Kaede, other than that, I have no knowledge of spells and incantations. That is what I am here for. I need to finish what little training I have so that I can be ready when the time comes."

She nods her head in understanding to my answers and then sits silently in contemplation for a few minutes. Taking advantage of her distraction, I stand and make my way over to my bag. We have been here for a few hours now and with all the power we used in our battle, I am in desperate need of some food and water. Opening the top, I pull out my bottle of water and chug with enthusiasm. Apparently I was really thirsty. Satisfied when the bottle is empty, I pull out two packages of ramen noodles and anything else I will need for our snack and then go a little further left of the tree Kikyo is sitting under and start gathering kindling and underbrush to build myself a fire. Using the lighter in my pocket, I smile in satisfaction when the sparks ignite and the smoke begins to rise. Now that I know the fire is strong enough not to blow out if a gust of wind blows by, I trek into the neighboring woods and gather enough wood for dinner to be cooked and to last the rest of the night. Loading the wood into a neat pile beside my makeshift fire pit, I add some logs to the fire and then begin to gather some large rocks from around the clearing so that my fire doesn't try and get out of control.

I take my boiling pot from my yellow pack once I am satisfied with the strength of the fire and walk in the direction of the nearby stream to collect some fresh spring water and to refill my water bottle. A few minutes later, I am sitting in front of the fire, relaxing as I wait for the water to boil. Kikyo joins me after a while and for the first time in four years; I am completely comfortable in her company. The water begins to boil and we sit down to watch the noodles cook. Kikyo gives me a funny look for a moment, but when the flavoring of the noodles waifs to her nose, I see her mouth begin to water. Smiling in delight at her reaction, I hand her a cup of ramen when it is finished cooking and chuckle lightly when her first reaction to my 'ninja food' as Inuyasha calls it, is to practically hum in satisfaction at the nice flavoring.

We train that way for nearly a month. The days fly by and shorter than I would have thought, I am finished with my training. Everyday, we would spar for a few hours and then we would meditate for the better part of the day. After dinner, she would train me in the ways of the miko. She taught me many powerful spells and showed me how to harness my thoughts and emotions to add strength to the well of my power, should I begin to fall short during battle. She even showed me the spell Midoriko was in the middle of casting when she was absorbed into the Shikon, along with her powerful demon foe. Of course, after she showed me this, she warned me not to use it unless absolutely necessary, only as a last resort.

The weeks fly by until all I have left to learn is aura reading. To read ones aura, is to learn all their faults and weaknesses in one gaze. This is a powerful skill and it is also very difficult to learn. Not many monks or miko's have enough power or patience to learn it, but the skill is undeniably useful, especially when your foe is someone like Naraku. Of course, considering that Kikyo knows this skill, I ask her if she has ever read Naraku's aura in all of their encounters. Her simple reply is that she is no longer able to harness that ability, her reasoning being that it probably has something to do with her being undead. I dropped the subject after she said that last part, knowing it is a touchy subject and we moved on to more important things. She trains me for a solid week on harnessing my reiki into my eyes and gathering the power around me so that I cannot be disturbed while using this skill. Eventually, something just snapped because everything seemed to fall into place. Now, I can even read Kikyo's aura, however diminished it is because of her golem-like state. When she calls upon her power, her aura spikes and if I didn't know any better, I would say that she is just an ordinary, but powerful miko.

I think by telling her that, I gave her some semblance of peace and for the first time in our long training session, we came to an unspoken alliance and trust. There is no other way of explaining it, but it is nice to know that I have a relationship with Kikyo that doesn't involve death and soul stealing for once in my life.

Now that my training is finished, I gather my belongings and head away from our clearing. I will never forget her help and if she should ever need a favor in return, she has but to call and I will come. Smiling softly in remembrance of our unusually long talks and quiet relaxing moments of peace, I concentrate on the aura's I am in search of. There is a strong pull to the immediate right of my current position and so with the auras of the ones I love taking dominance of my thoughts, I set out to find them. I unconsciously smirk to myself once I realize that I am heading right into the heart of the Western Lands.

This should be interesting to say the least. I don't even make it ten miles into the thick foliage surrounding me, when I feel the first stirrings of powerful jyaki, headed straight for my position. Scowling at his persistence, I stop in a clearing and wait. I will not get far regardless, so I might as well take advantage of the situation and have a drink of water and rest my feet for a moment before he decides to intrude on my solitude. After indulging in some nice cool water, I turn around and who should be standing before me with a complete mask of indifference, but the stoic Lord of the Western Lands. Mumbling about overbearing dog demons under my breath, I smile up at him and wait for whatever he wants to get off his chest, so that I can go about continuing my journey. Patiently, I wait for over three minutes for him to tell me why he decided to grace me with his presence and then my patience flies out the proverbial window and indignant fury takes its place.

"Tell me miko, are all members of your species so lacking in patience? I know that your life span is but a grain of sand in the vastness of my own, but surely you could do better."

Taking a minute to really listen to his words, instead of blurting an indignant response as is my first reaction, I come to the conclusion that he is just baiting me. _Could he like that I refuse to back down to him? Could he be flirting with me in his own stoic way? No way!_

Deciding to test my theory and get him back for thinking I would just back off, I bat my long eyelashes in his direction and give him my best coy little smile before speaking.

"Why Sesshomaru, I didn't know you cared. But if you are truly interested, I could demonstrate my patience first hand if you would like to join our group as we battle Naraku. I know that you will come to appreciate my patience when they are the only thing that stands between the violence that would occur otherwise."

His eyes begin to bleed red and his jyaki rises around him to nearly painful levels, but since I am not the kind of girl to be outdone, I too call forth my power and feel it snuff out his jyaki with little effort. Of course, more is quickly replaced, but the end result will be the same. He may be a powerful demon, but I am a powerful priestess and I am no longer the untrained little girl he first encountered. The sooner he comes to realize that, the better.

He stops his threatening lift of energy, hopefully realizing that he will not win this fight and I too allow the power to be absorbed back into my soul. His eyes are still a bright ruby and though I know he is no longer acting as if he will attack, I do not let my guard down for a moment. This demon would not think twice about shredding me to pieces and I refuse to be his next victim. He will suffer my wrath should he decide he is done being civil.

Dropping my arms so as to appear non-threatening, I begin to walk toward him, silently asking him to calm himself. He begins to growl, low and bestial, and I immediately freeze in my position. He acts quickly and pounces so that he is breathing deeply of my scent as he holds my arms at my sides so that I cannot stop his actions. Apparently, my natural scent calms him enough for him to regain control of the beast and then he takes one last long breath in before quickly leaving my presence. Not quite understanding what just happened, but knowing there is nothing I could do about it even if I did know what was going on, I shrug my shoulders in a quick dismissal of his earlier actions and turn back to where I left my yellow pack perched on a low branch.

This will definitely make for an interesting story to tell. I wonder what Sango and Miroku have been doing since I've been gone. Has Inuyasha driven them to the brink of madness with his constant nagging and whining? Has Shippo been a good boy? Did they miss me? I hope so because I missed them more than I could ever say out loud. I only hope that I find them soon, but if the position I am reading of their auras is correct, then I still have a few days ahead of me. So, grabbing some jerky from my pack and making quick work of it, I hoist my pack onto my back and head out.

The golden eyes following closely behind going unnoticed by the newly trained miko.

Alright everyone, that's it for now. I hope you weren't too disappointed with the outcome. I really needed to get her training out of the way so the story could move forward though, so I hope some of you enjoyed it. As for the rest, that was all a bit of fun. Things are going to start picking up from here, so be on the lookout. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review so that I know how this is being received. And constructive criticism is always welcome, but please don't flame me if there is no legitimate reason for not liking my work. If any of you fans have something you would like to happen in this story, please don't hesitate to tell me. All ideas are welcome.

Take care until next time.

Ja


	5. Chapter 5

Alright everyone. Here is the newest installment of Blood for Blood. I must tell you that the reviews I have received, even so few, have inspired me to write another chapter and this is the outcome of it. I hope it is received well and please review to let me know what you think of this newest chapter.

As always, I do NOT own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries within. I assure you that if I did, me and the gang would be having all night parties with a few threesomes involving the Inu brothers every night. YUM!

A special thanks go out to Sada, Paganstar21 and my cousin Diana for all their help with this story and my others. Without them, these chapters would be a little worse for wear and probably half done. Much love to my beta's and muses and I only hope that your inspiring words and encouraging thoughts continue so that I can finish this story in record time.

Blood for Blood

Chapter 5

Unexpected Reunions

I continue walking through the forest of the Western Lands and feel the eyes upon my back burn in their intensity. Apparently, he feels the need to follow me. I hope he doesn't think that I cannot feel his presence. I should give him a little feel of my power and see his reaction, but something holds me back. I can only imagine it has something to do with the much colder aura I can sense that is coming in my direction with much stealth and even more speed. Tensing in reaction to the familiar pulse of power that tingles along my spine, I hesitate for a moment before coming to a stop in a clearing along the path.

Dropping my bag to the ground without a second thought, I gather my power, suppress my aura and diminish my scent. If this is the same demon I think it is, then he will know where I am regardless of the presence of my aura or my scent. Waiting for a few moments, I feel the aura still coming in fast and know without a shadow of a doubt that the demon come to visit me is none other than the blood demon Velenor that bit me a little over a month ago.

Deciding that I will give him a chance to answer some of my questions before purifying him as I should have done in the beginning, I sit in the middle of the clearing and open my bag. Retrieving my bottled water and some pieces of dried fruit, I calmly wait for my demon to arrive and smile in greeting when he is suddenly standing before me with the devilishly handsome smirk on his face. He is dressed all in black again with the same silver patterns of swirling color in his haori and hakama. I haven't decided if I am just lucky or if he wears this for everyone. I am a little disappointed at that last thought, but then I push it to the back of my mind to be mulled over at a later date.

Motioning for him to sit by me, I am glad when he does. The swirling color in his eyes tells me that he is neither angry nor upset by my reaction to him and if I am reading his aura correctly, he is very much intrigued by me. He reaches toward my face as though he cannot stop himself and I feel the heat of his body when it comes so close to my skin, but he suddenly pulls back as if I have burned him and then I reach forward of my own accord. Brushing my fingers against his check, I smile when he purrs in contentment to my touch. Removing my hand from his face, I put it back into my lap and make sure to keep it there lest I do something I shall regret later and then turn my face to his.

His eyes are much more blue than black at the moment and so I gather my courage and suppress my power, then ask my questions. "Is your name Velenor demon?" His smile, equipped with sharp fangs is my answer. I fear he will not speak to me for a moment, but then he opens his mouth and his delicious voice caresses me with such sensual strokes that I nearly moan in ecstasy. Catching myself before I do something I can't take back, I listen to his words and nod in understanding. "Yes priestess, I am the Velenor that you speak of. How may I be of assistance?"

I shake myself of the power his voice has over me and then reply with as much dignity as I can, while still trying to have control of the situation. "Tell me, did you try to turn me during our last encounter? And if so, why did it not take?" His soft sensual chuckle causes me to gasp in delight at the sound, but I quickly recover myself and await his reply. "Kagome, I tasted your blood and then you drank of mine, for all accounts and purposes, you should be a Vampire as you called us at our last meeting. However, I didn't take into account the vast power you keep in your very soul. You see, to become a Vampire, the body and soul must part from one another. The soul moves on to its next life and you become what I am; a blood demon that lives off the blood of humans and demons alike. I am sure that you received the vision I sent you. How did you like it?"

Snorting in disgust, I just glare in his direction to let him know how much I liked his gift. "So, what you're saying is that my soul was too powerful for your demon to take over and release it into its next life and so I ended up purifying your demon and becoming more pure in the process as well as more powerful. How do you explain that? The power boost and the pureness? Do you know what is happening to me? Why I rely more on instincts than anything else now?"

His eyes widen a fraction and I know he is keeping something from me, or he has just realized something. "What is it Velenor?" Scooting closer to his person, my water and fruit forgotten, I grasp his nearest hand and look at him expectantly and notice rather interestingly that his gaze falls to our entwined hands for long moments before he finally gazes at me. "Priestess, there is only one way that your power could purify the demon within and that means that you are no mere priestess, but so much more. Yes, you are a priestess, but also now have the characteristics of my demon. You are not a demon by any stretch, but somehow your power added the strength and the instincts of our demonic nature to itself, but instead of gaining the taint of every demon, your soul gained purity because it withstood the demonic forces that were desperately trying to turn you. I do not think that you are human any longer, but what you are I cannot say. The aura that you exude when you are not suppressing it is much larger and more dangerous than it was the night I tried to turn you. It makes me hunger for you again because I cannot have you.

Blushing at his last statement, I cannot help the shudder that runs the length of my spine when I think of what he could do to me if I let him. I feel like I am the boy crazy fifteen year old all over again. He makes me feel warm low in my belly and he is the second most beautiful creature I have ever seen, the most beautiful being Sesshomaru, but he will never know that. This demon could be dangerous for my sanity. Aside from that, what he has told me is disturbing. That I could no longer be human is something that I was unfortunately already prepared for considering the bite and the taste of blood. Turning to him when I remember something else he said, I ask what has been bothering me for a long while now.

"Tell me Velenor. Are you and I connected now? Is that how I saw your little hunt only a day after you tried to turn me? And why haven't I seen anything else since then?" Smirking at me for reasons unknown to me, I frown in his direction and wait impatiently for him to answer my questions. " You, priestess are no longer connected to me, which is why you no longer see me feed and why I can no longer watch through your eyes. Since you purified the demon there has been nothing to connect us, but there is still a semblance of what was left because your aura calls to me in ways that make my blood boil. It is almost as if your blood calls to me for mating." He flashes me a naughty suggestive grin at that last statement and I feel the flush overtake my body as my temperature rises. Dear God what is he doing to me? I haven't had a reaction like this to anyone other than Sesshomaru since I came tumbling down the well.

Clearing my throat at the uncomfortable situation I am now in, I scoot away from him in obvious denial of his mating nonsense. I can still feel the eyes on my back from Sesshomaru and I can't help wondering what he thinks of this conversation and everything that has been revealed thus far. Snapping out of my thoughts, I reach for my bag and start to put away my bottle and left over fruit when I feel Velenor come up behind me. I know he will not hurt me because I don't feel my reiki coming to the surface like it would were I in any kind of danger, but I do feel the heat of his body as he brushes against my miko robes in order to get closer to me. I feel his arms go around my waist and my heart begin to thunder in my chest. Eyes widening in surprise, I am too shocked to do anything when he pulls me flush against his chest and brings his nose to my pulse and breathes deeply.

Gathering my wits about me, I am about to put an end to his contented purring against my body when Sesshomaru appears before me, eyes red in anger, growling threateningly toward Velenor, who suddenly lifts his head and growls, his eyes flashing black in response to the threat before him. I fall to the ground in surprise when Velenor pushes me away from him to deal with the immediate threat and Sesshomaru growls viciously in reaction to his carelessness toward my well being, I assume. Velenor raises a brow toward the Western Lord and smirks wickedly before taking a step near where I am lying in the dirt only to have the Western Lord snarl in protest and step closer as well.

Understanding where this is headed and knowing I don't want any blood on my hands regardless of whose it is. I don't honestly know what is going on right now, but I do know that Velenor is deliberately trying to goad Sesshomaru and its working. Getting up from my prone position in the dirt, I dust myself off and then turn toward Velenor, giving him a glare in the process and letting him know that I do not approve of what he is doing at the moment, no matter how much fun he is having. "Velenor, why are you deliberately trying to get him even angrier than he already is?" My question seems to halt the trance the two of them are in and he finally breaks eye contact with the Taiyoukai to give me his undivided attention. He smirks in delight and then once again turns his eyes back to the enraged demon lord. "He is upset because he seems to think I am infringing upon his property and by property, I mean you and I am simply informing him in no uncertain terms that if anyone is to claim you, it will be me." With another wicked smirk, he turns his attention back to Sesshomaru.

My eyes widen in shock and I turn viciously in the Western Lords direction. My temper is flaring wildly and my reiki releases from me in large spurts of purifying energy, demanding answers in that wild claim of ownership. Just who in the hell does he think he is to claim he owns me. I am NOT a piece of property! Glaring at him in fury, I try to calm myself and be happy in the knowledge that he could never hope to claim me because I would purify him first, before turning to Velenor. He is still glaring at Sesshomaru and I have half a mind at the moment to let them battle it out. Maybe they could kill each other and save me the headaches and trouble, but my good heart grudgingly knows I will never let anything like that happen and so grumbling underneath my breath, I gather a large energy ball and spread it between my palms. The large amount of reiki in the air, quickly brings the demonic rages that both demons are trying to lose themselves in, to an abrupt halt.

Growling in agitation at both of them, I let some of my gathered energy loose and watch in satisfaction when both demons growl in response from the pain. Shaking my head in denial, I speak calmly and loud enough for both of them to hear. "I am Kagome Higurashi, the Shikon Miko, powerful in my own right and I will NOT be reduced to someone's property. Neither of you will claim me this day and if you know what's good for you, each of you will leave me be or I will purify you into hell without a second thought." Seeing the determined fire alight in my eyes, each demon leaves the clearing, but not before growling their discontent with this turn of events and I can't help the smirk that graces my face as I call back my ki and feel it settle within my soul once more.

Gathering my supplies once again, I set out further into the Western Lands toward the auras of my friends and am delighted to sense that they are much closer than they were previously. So, either they felt the powerful auras of Velenor and Sesshomaru and are coming to investigate, or they finished their shard hunting and are heading toward another rumor of powerful demons. Either way, they are so close that we should meet up this evening. So, hurrying my step so that I can wrap my arms around my kit once again and see my friends, I look to my surroundings and breathe in the fresh air, wishing with all my heart that we will be successful in our defeat of Naraku and that somehow, everything will work out.

Hours pass and the sun slowly moves toward the horizon as it readies to give the moon its chance to shine for the night and I will be within shouting distance of Sango and the gang within a few minutes. I am so excited that I start to run. The wind flying through my hair and the leaves brushing against my clothes and skin, I feel free at the moment. It is such a beautiful night; I can't help but feel one with nature at this very moment. Inuyasha and everyone should be just in the next clearing and I know that I should stop, but I feel so wonderful right now, almost as if I could fly away, I really don't want to, but I know that they will think something's wrong, so regrettably, I slow my forward progress and come into the clearing at a sedate pace.

Sango, Miroku and Shippo are sitting around the fire, watching as the fish cooks and talking quietly amongst themselves and Inuyasha is sitting in a low branch of a neighboring tree, ears constantly swirling in every direction, picking up all the surrounding sounds they can. I smile at the familiarity of it all and then see Shippo look over in my direction with his nose leading the way before his eyes light up and he launches himself into my arms. Giggling at his welcome, I smile as Sango and Miroku walk in my direction with smiles of their own and warm words of welcome. Inuyasha stays in his low branch and I know that he is just waiting for everyone to give me a little space before he says his own greeting, not wanting to look as if he missed me or anything. Typical Inuyasha.

Putting Shippo in one arm, I embrace Sango and say that I missed her much as she does the same, before turning to Miroku for the same greeting, being every wary for his wandering hands. Once the welcome is over with, we gather around the fire and I lay my bag underneath the tree Inuyasha is sitting in. I can tell that he is apparently upset at me and I can only assume he is mad because I took so long in training, but there is nothing I can do about it, so I smile at him and say hi, waiting for his response. His gruff, "Hey" is all that I get and I am happy with that. I will never be his number one and I have known that all along. I gave up trying to win his love a long time ago. I knew he would never see me for me even if he did decide to choose me in the end and so with a heavy heart, I gave up on my feelings for him and resigned myself to being his best friend for the rest of his life.

I smile in response to his usual reply and turn toward the fire once again. Hoping against hope, I turn back to Inuyasha for a second and ask him if there is a hot spring nearby. He says it's only a few feet behind him and I squeal in delight. Turning toward Sango I ask her if she would like to join me for a nice hot bath and she agrees excitedly. So, gathering my supplies and a fresh pair of clothes, we walk toward the hot spring and immediately begin to talk about what we have been doing since we last spoke.

"I have missed you terribly. I hope that your training went well and that Kikyo wasn't horrible about it. I can only imagine. Tell me all about it."

Smirking in her direction, I start to answer her questions. "I missed you too; you have no idea how much and Kikyo actually wasn't that bad if you want to know the truth. I told her the second night I was there that she could rest easy in the knowledge that I didn't have any romantic feelings for her beloved hanyou anymore and she seemed to relax. The tension in the air seemed to ease a bit after that and more often than not, we had long talks about all different things when we weren't training and even more when we were. She knows all there is to know about healing and herbal medicines. Even more about which are poisonous and can be used to create a noxious gas and which ones can be used to your advantage in battle against demons of all different kinds.

She taught me a lot in the month that I was there and I learned a few things about her I never would have given her credit for if she hadn't told me. Did you know that she liked to write poetry in her spare time? I read some of it and I must say I was rather impressed. She was really quite good. She had a whole separate life from being the Shikon Miko and no one knows about it, except maybe Inuyasha, but I don't even think he knows as much as me. She told me that she is still very much in love with him. Beneath all that hate and vengeful thoughts, she is still the bitter miko that just wanted a normal life without the responsibility of the Shikon jewel. I think that when all this is said and done, I am going to wish her back to life so that she and Inuyasha can start over again. I just hope they make it this time; they both deserve to be happy. I also invited her to join our group. I know what you're going to say, but save it, please. I do not resent the fact that she and Inuyasha love each other. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I have come to accept and respect his decision. Besides, she makes him happy and that is all I have ever wanted for him. She never answered me though, so I don't know if she will join us or not, but I can hope, for the both of them."

Smiling gently in Sango's direction at her look of sympathy, I nod my head to let her know that I am ok with the way things have turned out and moments later we come upon the spring. It is bubbling in heavenly warmth and it rather large for a natural spring, but both Sango and I squeal in happiness and proceed to strip rather quickly. Once I gather my supplies together, I wade into the water after Sango and rest my belongings on the side of the spring with a large ledge so that nothing will tumble to the forest floor. Handing Sango the shampoo, I use my loofa and body wash and begin to lather my body, paying special attention to my legs that always seem to be covered in dirt and grime from the road. Once finished, Sango and I swap and I lather my hair with my lavender scented shampoo, rinse and then sit back and relax from the days activities.

Sango sits languidly beside me and then suddenly stiffens and turns toward me with an uneasy look in her eyes. I just wink her way and then send out a little shock of purifying energy and wait for the yelp that will come. Only a second later, a loud curse is heard and I just shake my head in disgust. To think that Inuyasha had finally succumbed to Miroku's reasoning for spying, is just plain sick. So, opening my mouth, I scream, "Hey moron's, don't think for one second that we don't know that your there. Leave now before I kick both of your asses!" Sango is giggling behind her hand and I start to laugh as well when we hear the distinct sound of bushes moving and the sound of quiet cursing as both Inuyasha and Miroku scramble back to camp before I get angry.

One we are alone, I turn to Sango and smile a gentle smile waiting for her attention to turn to me as well. When I see her glance my way, I speak in a hushed voice so no one that could still be eavesdropping can hear what is said. "Do you want to know what happened today though? I met up with the demon that attacked me that night. His name is Velenor and he is the most handsome demon I have ever seen, second only to Sesshomaru. Long black hair, high cheekbones, soft lips, wicked fangs, swirling blue and black eyes and the most seductive voice; it drips sexual tension and when you hear it you can't help but think sinful thoughts. But that is not the best part. He came to me today to tell me that I am no longer human, but not demon either. Apparently I am a hybrid of some sort. My reiki purified the demonic energy that tried to turn me into a blood demon, or a vampire from when I am from. But apparently, I inherited some of the demonic traits before my reiki could purify it in time, which would explain the enhanced vision and power. My purity is greater because of the strength of the demonic aura it purified. Velenor, my demon attacker, seems to think that there are other traits I could have inherited that I have yet to discover. For all we know I could have inherited the life span of a demon. Wouldn't that be cool?"

Giving Sango a look that clearly told her of my excitement, I suddenly frown when I think about the depressing aspect of living well beyond my normal life span. _I would live to watch all my friends and family die. Oh my God! Suddenly, I don't hope that I gained that trait as well. _Sango pulls me from my thoughts when she murmurs that we will figure this out together and that I should tell Inuyasha and Miroku about these new developments as well. Scowling in denial for a few minutes, I nod in acquiescence a short while later when she splashes me until I cave. _Ha! Who knew how fun Sango can be when she is away from the prying eyes and wandering hands of the lecher she loves so much. Speaking of which….._Glancing at her out the corner of my eye, I grin wickedly before springing my questions, "How are you and Miroku doing now? Any progress since I left?" She looks to me with leery eyes and then she too scowls. I frown in disapproval and wait for her to explain before I tell her my thoughts on the matter. Maybe there is something I can do to help them along. I feel so sorry for them because they could be so happy together, but they are so damn stubborn!

Sango's shoulders suddenly slump and my thoughts come to a complete stop. Worry overtakes me and I wrap my arms around her. Whispering words of comfort, I wait for her to tell me what is bothering her so I can help. " Oh Kagome, I don't know what to do. He is hot one minute and cold the next. I think he is really trying to change to make things work between us for a second and then in the next second he is back to his old tricks and I end up knocking him out and stomping off in the opposite direction. He says that he wants to be with me, but how can I believe that he wants me for anything besides sex when all he does to show his interest is grope me? I don't want to finally give into him, just to end up heartbroken and alone the next. I just fear that once I give him myself, he will turn to the next girl he sees and ask them to bear his child. I couldn't live like that. I would rather die then see that come to pass, so I just stay away and try not to let him get to me, but as the years pass, it gets harder and harder to say no or not give into the temptation to leave and go off on my own. I feel so lost. What should I do?"

The pain and anguish she feels is rolling off her lithe body in waves. Gripping her tighter, I whisper into her ear so only she can hear what I have to say. "Sango, you are far stronger than I to be able to continue staying by his side with all this turmoil inside of you. I know that you think his intentions are simply for a night in the sack, but his feelings for you run far deeper than that. Have you not noticed that he hasn't touched the backside of another woman in months? Have you not noticed that the only woman he asks to bear his child is you? There have been no others for nearly a year now. He remains true to you as a sign of his love and devotion to you. He is just as scared as you are about rejection, which is why he hasn't come to you already with a proposal of marriage. He wants to spend the rest of his life with you and I already know that is what you desire as well. Talk to him. Pull him aside and demand that he tell you his feelings. If he won't, tell him that your future together depends on his words. I assure you, he will drop all pretenses and tell you how he feels. When that happens, tell him you feel the same and then you can finally be together and happy. You both deserve it and so much more.

The smile she gives me warms my heart and I feel my heart beat faster in response. Nodding her head with a fiery determination in her eyes, I watch bemusedly as she gets out of the hot springs quickly dresses and then marches back to camp with every intention of talking to the monk at this very moment. Laughing in delight as I knew she never had much in the way of patience, I lean back and sigh in happiness when I think that they will finally find some peace. Now, all I need to do is convince Kikyo to join our group so that she and Inuyasha can mend their relationship. They are both in desperate need of some happiness as well. Coming out of my thoughts abruptly when I feel an aura I would rather die then ever feel again, I tense and shudder at the same time before gathering my reiki to my palms and sighing in relief when it bubbles to the surface. I turn around slowly and am disgusted beyond words when I come face to face with Naraku in all his naked glory. My eyes go wide in disbelief. What the fuck does he think he's doing? "What the hell do you want Naraku?"

His wicked chuckle is my answer. I growl my displeasure at not being answered and he immediately stops and narrows his eyes. Speaking clearly, he says simply, "I was just in the area and came across your delightful scent and thought I would join you in your bath. I was hoping to persuade you to wash my back. His leering eyes and suggestive grin nearly prove my undoing as I almost lose the contents of my stomach, but I somehow manage to get a grip on my nauseousness and lift my palms from my side. They glow with the strength of my power and his leer drops instantly. Sneering in his direction, I let my aura swirl around me and pulse in warning before I grace him with my voice. "Naraku, I would rather tear my own skin off before I ever willingly come into contact with yours, but now I see that you little man is getting excited. Would you like me to take care of that as well? Because I assure you that is something I would be delighted to handle." Winking provocatively in his direction, I snort when his little man immediately stands at attention. Pathetic! Men are all the same, pigs!

He takes a step closer to me and I suppress my power further to lure him into a sense of security. I only summoned the amount of reiki I normally use around him. I refuse to give up my element of surprise so soon. The only way I will unleash my entire well of power is if he is in my arms and he cannot escape. With a sweep of my aura without his detection, I know that this is no mere puppet and that I am standing before the real Naraku. He was near, felt my presence, knew I was alone and decided to try and pick me off without too much trouble, or turn me to his cause. One way or another, he always gets what he wants. Unfortunately, this is not going to be one of those times, so gathering my courage, I step forward, bare and glorious. Water droplets fall off my body in sensuous trails and the wind picks up enough to chill my already pert breasts so that my nipples pucker, hardening before his lusting ruby eyes. I can feel his lust for me and it only sickens me more. To think that this demon actually thinks I would let him sully my body with his disgusting collection of body parts; I cannot fathom what is floating through his sick twisted mind at the moment and honestly I am not sure I want to. He probably thinks that he is far more powerful than I and will be an easy conquest.

A sudden spike in demon jyaki catches my attention and I look to Naraku's immediate left only to see the ruby red eyes of the Western Lord for the second time today, appearing out of orb form. He probably sensed Naraku's presence and felt my drop in my power and thought that I was losing a battle. How sweet. He came to my rescue for the second time today. If I didn't know any better I would start to think that he actually cared about my wellbeing. Smirking in Sesshomaru's direction and refusing to think about the fact that I am now standing nude before two very handsome, even though one is evil, demons, I send a weak burst of purifying energy toward Naraku and duck quickly into the warm water I am still wading in when he sends a tentacle after me in response. It is quickly purified when it comes too close to my aura and then Sesshomaru takes action and attacks relentlessly. With Naraku being naked, he quickly retreats, knowing he will not come out a whole demon if he continues to fight in his current attire. Gathering his miasma around his still naked form, he takes to the skies, but not before turning back to me and saying, "Until our next rendezvous little miko, I look forward to it and make sure to dress appropriately." His sensual chuckles are heard for a few seconds and then they fade away on the breeze. I shudder involuntarily at his suggestive words.

Turning toward the demon lord, I am shocked to see his eyes are now a brilliant amber and I am left speechless when he removes his robe, or what looks like it, and is left as naked as the day he was born. Blushing madly at the sight, I quickly avert my eyes and turn around. I feel the water ripple around me and know that he has just entered the spring. My eyes widen in disbelief for a moment and then I gasp in surprise when I feel his arm snake around my waist and pull me back flush against his chest. Shuddering at the feeling of his perfect body pressed so sensually against mine, I nearly moan my pleasure when I feel his nose near my pulse and feel his tongue sneak out and lick the side of my neck. I can feel the heat low in my belly getting stronger and I know that Sesshomaru is not himself at the moment, but for the life of me I can't seem to get up the strength to push him away. He feels so good against me and his scent of the forests and sandalwood is slowly turning my resistance to ash blowing away on the wind. My eyes begin to flutter closed as I feel his fingers stroking my belly softly. Biting my lip so hard I draw blood, trying desperately to hold back my moan of pleasure, he immediately lets go of me and turns me around so quickly I almost lose my balance. Putting a hand to his chest to steady myself, I don't have time to react before his lips come crashing down on mine.

Gasping in shock and pleasure, he takes full advantage and thrusts his tongue into my mouth. The moan I release has no hope of being suppressed and he growls approvingly when he hears it. Instead of pushing him away like I know I should be, my body acts against my will and loops my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. My tongue is then in his mouth exploring his taste before I can stop myself and then my eyes burst open and I push him back. He growls warningly in my direction, but I pay him no mind. I erect a barrier hastily around my form and then gather some purifying energy into my palms. He is snarling at me now, but there is nothing I can do. I will remember his kiss for the rest of my life. It was the most erotic experience I have ever had the pleasure of having and I can feel my arousal dripping down my thighs in proof, but he is not in his right mind and will regret this far more than I will in the morning, so releasing my energy, I watch in fascination as it envelops him. His snarling stops and he is suddenly very wary of me. I smile softly in his direction and then slowly release the energy into his body, effectively sealing his beast and strengthening the restraints on his form so that Sesshomaru can regain what little control he can over him, until his own restraints can be added.

Slowly, I see the ruby of his eyes fade to the beautiful amber and then his cold gaze collides with mine. His curt nod tells me he is now in control of himself and I immediately release my barrier around both of us. I see his eyes travel the length of my body and immediately shudder at the heat of his gaze, but then he suddenly jumps from the spring and gathers his clothes. I stare stupidly after him, expecting him to say something, anything about his curious behavior, but he dresses in silence and then begins to walk away and I truly think he is going to leave without a word, but then he stops suddenly and turns to look at me once more. "Thank you for stopping me, miko. Most would have taken advantage of my obvious weakness, but you have honor and I am in your debt because of it. If you ever have need of me, simply call and I will come." Waiting for another second for my quick nod in response, he quietly turns and continues on his way. Blinking in confusion, I slowly shake my head and get out of the spring. My body is now all pruny and all I want to do is get in my pajamas and crawl into bed. Suddenly, I am thoroughly exhausted.

I watch her dress quickly and then head back to camp and cannot help but really take a look at the girl. She did not give into the feelings I can still smell even now are effecting her. She is highly aroused and yet, she did not let anything come of it. She has much honor and I cannot help the slight twinge of disappointment that I feel about not getting to taste her. She smells heavenly, even now her scent is making me painfully hard and I know that if she hadn't stopped me, I would have taken her and she would have loved it, but at the same time, I am glad. She is human, regardless of how powerful she is and I will not lower myself to becoming my father. Although, from the conversation she had earlier with that blood demon, I may be off in my assumption that she is still human. I will need to keep an eye on her so that I am kept abreast with anything that happens to her. Maybe she will prove an interesting query. I look forward to it. Smiling at my thoughts, I turn back toward the Western palace and gather my jyaki. Transforming into my orb, I quickly reach my home. There is much to do.

Alright everyone. That is going to do it for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you. Please review and tell me what you think and I try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can. This is the last pre written chapter, so it might take me a few days to get it out, but I will. Thanks again for reading and until next time, take care of yourselves.

Ja!


	6. Chapter 6

Alright everyone, I just want to say thank you to all my reviewers. You make me feel humbled with your praise. I can never express how much your words mean to me and so I hope that this next chapter does your words justice. Please review and let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome and cherished. Thank you once again for your encouragement and now without further ado, here is the next installment of Blood for Blood.

A special thanks go out to my cousin Diana, who is my muse and friend. She constantly helps me to brainstorm ideas and is always there when I need her most. Much love to you are yours.

Another special thanks goes out to WiccanMethuselah, Sada and Paganstar21 who are my beta's and the other voices that whisper ideas and encouragements to me even when I am sleeping. To them I can only say thank you and much love, but it still will never be enough to express my gratitude.

I must also say one more thing. Sada, my very special friend, beta and muse has agreed to let me use her character Masao, a lesser Northern Lord from her story Masquerade in exchange for her use of my yummy vampire demon, Velenor. So whatever you do, please don't accuse me of plagiarism because I have her express permission to use him and when she does use my character for her stories, please note that she has my permission and do not try and charge her either. Thanks!

Blood for Blood

Chapter 6

Meetings and Introductions

I wake slowly the next morning after my interesting rendezvous with the demon lord and Naraku, feeling back to my old self. My power level is replenished and my body is no longer sore from my journey here. I look around the camp site and smile when I see that I am the only one awake right now. I slowly get up, being careful not to wake Shippo, and then quickly make my way back behind a large oak so I can change into my miko robes. A few minutes later, I emerge fully dressed, comfortable and begin to make myself busy gathering the ingredients needed for breakfast.

A few minutes after starting, I notice Shippo beginning to wake. I smile fondly as I see his nose begin to twitch and lead him toward where I am making pancakes, sausage, bacon and eggs. This is a favorite of my comrades and I try to make it as often as I can for them when time permits, but we are frequently in such a hurry that we simply eat oatmeal and fresh picked berries when they are in season. I smile toward Sango when I see her begin to stir, then I hear a loud growl from Inuyasha's direction and I know that the smell of fresh cooked meat has aroused his bottomless stomach. I laugh softly to myself before turning in his direction to see him jumping down with a large grin on his face.

It is something of a hassle to carry all the pans and the large cookie sheet it will take to make these things over a fire, but I don't mind as long as I can make my comrades happy. They so enjoy this 'ninja' food, as they call it, that I simply can't resist when they ask for it. So, I say a quick 'Good Morning' to my friends, as one by one they wake to the delicious smells of future delicacies. When the food is ready, I pass out as much as I was able to make for the first round and then begin to add more pancake batter to the cookie sheet I am using as the large cooking area, adding a few more links of sausage and slices of bacon to it as well.

I pass around the butter, syrup, ketchup, peanut butter and jelly, then flip the pancakes and meat. Everyone is practically moaning with each bite and I can't help the lift in my spirits as I feel the contentment surrounding me. The next batch of pancakes is done and I pass those around as well, the meat following a few minutes later. Taking a pancake for myself, along with a piece of bacon, sausage and a small portion of eggs, I pass more helpings of those around again, laughing as Inuyasha's and Shippo's eyes go much wider at the prospect of more meat. Once all the food is passed out and everyone seems to be full and content to sip their milk or orange juice, I sit back and relax for a few minutes before I take the dishes down to the stream that I know is near the hot spring I used last night.

Thinking about what lies ahead for us, I sigh audibly, abruptly getting the attention of Inuyasha, who growls loudly in response, then practically pounces on me. Suddenly, he is mere inches away, then he takes in a large whiff of my scent. Growling for a moment and then snarling loudly, he grasps my arm so tightly that I cry out at the pain. Looking pointedly in his direction, I release some reiki into my arm and watch as he immediately releases me. Turning on him, my contentment from only a moment ago forgotten, I yell, "What the hell is your problem Inuyasha?"

He narrows his eyes for a moment and then growls again. "Who the fuck were you with last night bitch? I can smell the scent of three powerful demons on you, but it's stale so I can't tell who it is! Was it Koga? Tell me wench!"

Narrowing my eyes in disgust, I try to take a deep breath to calm myself down, disliking his insinuations at my expense; however, he grabs hold of my arms again and practically shakes me, demanding answers to his questions. I scream 'SIT!' at the top of my lungs and he plunges to the ground, releasing me in the process. Stepping back from the Inuyasha-shaped crater I have just created, I glare down at him and continue to shout because I know it hurts his ears. "Naraku came to visit me at the hot springs last night after Sango left. He said that he wanted me to scrub his back and I was about to purify him when Sesshomaru showed up and chased him off. Sesshomaru's beast was in control and he started to attack me, but I erected a barrier, adding my purifying energy into his to strengthen his restraints on his beast. When Sesshomaru regained control, I released him and he left. As for the third demon you smelled, that would be Velenor, the blood demon that attacked me a little over a month ago. He paid me a visit yesterday when I was on my way to find you. We talked for a few moments, then he left. Satisfied?" Hoping that he won't smell a couple of my small lies, I stomp my feet to emphasize my distress over his actions, then wait for his next outburst.

The spell wears off a few seconds after my long winded speech and he quickly gets to his feet. His ears are pinned against his head, telling me he feels remorse, but his eyes quickly tell me that he isn't going to give up his pursuit so easily. Growling under my breath, I give him a look that clearly says it will be in his best interest to stop now, but he has never been one to keep his mouth shut though, so he opens it a second later and, in the process, inserts his foot. "I don't believe you! For the stench of three powerful male demons to be on you, you would have had to touch them. Sesshomaru would never lay his hands on you. You are beneath him, human!" While he's sneering at me, I look back at him with such hurt in my gaze that he immediately regrets his choice of words, but doesn't take them back. I feel my heart clench painfully in my chest and feel my lip begin to tremble, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Instead, I scream "SIT!" so powerfully that I feel the ground quake underneath me for a few moments, then it stills. Grabbing my bag from underneath the tree that sheltered me last night, I look apologetically to Sango and Miroku and begin to walk away.

"Wait Kagome! Where are you going? You just found us again, please don't leave or, at the very least, let one or all of us come with you." Smiling at Sango, I start to shake my head, when I feel the powerful aura of Velenor approaching from the east. I feel my heart skip a beat and then a tingle travels the length of my spine before I remember that Sango was speaking a moment ago. Shaking my head again to rid it of the cloudy thoughts Velenor's aura alone causes, I turn back to her and sigh audibly. "I'm sorry Sango, but I simply refuse to be treated this way. I am no longer pining over Inuyasha in hopes that he will return my feelings, so I will not put up with his horrible treatment of me anymore. I hope that my leaving once again will give him some needed perspective, or I will break my promise to be by his side forever if he continues to treat me this way. I am a powerful miko who can take care of herself and I will do so without any help from him. Let him try to find the shards without me; maybe Kikyo will finally have a place by his side now. As for me, I am going to continue my quest without him."

Turning to leave once again, Sango calls out to me, stopping me in my tracks. "Wait Kagome, please take me with you." Surprised at her request, I turn to look at her and see the pleading in her eyes, Shippo and Kirara held tightly in her arms. I look to Miroku and see his eyes narrowed on her form, although I cannot determine his emotions. Without a reason to say 'no' and no obvious objection from Miroku, I nod my head and she breathes a huge sigh of relief. Inuyasha begins to struggle with his restraints as we walk out of camp, but I pay him no mind and leave him face-first in the dirt.

After a few minutes of walking side by side with Sango and Shippo, I hear Inuyasha coming up behind us, apparently determined to continue this nonsense. I turn toward him with an annoyed expression on my face, as he stops only a few feet away and growls lowly. I raise my eyebrows in question and he begins to yell. "What the hell do you think you're doing wench? You aren't going anywhere. You are still my shard detector and I won't let you go without a fight!" Scowling at his horrible words, I nearly scream in frustration and hurt all over again. So, grinding my teeth together to keep from screaming foul language and telling him exactly how I feel at the moment, I try to calm myself and leave before I do something I won't regret. He makes that impossible, however, when he begins to scream obscenities, demanding I go with him because it's my fault I broke the jewel and, according to him, I have no choice in the matter.

Taking a deep breath because I know I am going to scream at him, I start by telling him exactly what I think. "Who the hell do you think you are Inuyasha? You do not own me and cannot tell me what to do no matter how much you feel it's your place. I am not a possession and I refuse to be told what to do. I thought we were friends, but you have just proven, once again, that you care nothing for me. I am just a measly shard detector to you, so I am leaving without you and there is nothing you can do about it. I don't want to see you. Go back to your Kikyo and leave her reincarnation be. If I never see you again, it will be too soon. Tell Miroku that I said goodbye and I hope to see him again one day. And to make sure you don't follow me again, SIT, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, and one more for good measure, SIT!"

Leaving the crater, I turn to an awe-stricken Sango and just shake my head when she tries to console me, seeing the obvious hurt in my eyes. I just want to leave this place. Inuyasha is my best friend, but I will no longer put up with his horrible treatment. My heart simply cannot take anymore. I am going to find someone to love on my own, collect the remaining jewel shards, and kill Naraku while I'm at it. Determination lights my face and Sango's worry for me eases. Continuing on the path I had originally taken, I feel Velenor's aura spike at my close proximity and I flare my own in response, letting him know I feel that he is near and I am waiting.

I stop in a clearing less than a mile from where I made an Inuyasha-crater and sit on a large rock. Sango gives me a questioning look and I decide to answer her unasked question. "We are waiting for Velenor to arrive. He wants a word and I am curious." Turning to her, I give her a strange look and then decide to ask why she came with me. "Why did you follow me? I thought for sure you would want to stay with Miroku." Her response to my question is one I never saw coming. She looks to me with much sadness and distress, then speaks quietly, as if talking too loud will cause more pain.

"I did as you told me to last night. I went back to camp after my bath and pulled Miroku aside. He had been quietly meditating, but was otherwise not occupied. He agreed to take a walk with me and, when we arrived in a clearing surrounded by moonlight and little fireflies, I thought it was awfully romantic, so I sat down in a small area surrounded by moonflowers. I took a deep breath and asked him how he felt about me. He said that he cared about me and always would, but he would not elaborate. I even told him that our future depended on what he said, but the only thing that left his mouth was that there simply wasn't a future for us. I started crying and asked him why, but he only said that his feelings had changed and there was nothing left for me. I stopped my tears and left him sitting quietly in the glade with as much dignity as I could muster, and never looked back. I saw the look in his eyes, and I know that he thinks he is protecting me because he is afraid the Kazaana will kill him before we can begin our future together, but I am tired of waiting. That is why, when you said you were leaving, I couldn't stay anymore. You were the only reason I was going to stay. Now that you're no longer there, I have no reason to travel with them."

Nodding in understanding, I step toward her to give her some much needed comfort and she welcomes me into her embrace. Sobbing loudly for a few minutes, unable to hold back, I rub her back in soothing circles and whisper soft words of comfort. We sit like that, with Kirara and Shippo hugging our legs and trying to comfort both of us as much as they can, until I feel the jyaki in the air rise. Turning to look over my shoulder, I see that Velenor has arrived. Letting go of Sango, I turn toward him and smile softly. He nods his head, then looks pointedly toward Sango and Shippo with an obvious question in his eyes. Smiling in response, I turn to Sango and introduce them. "Sango, this is Velenor, my demon in shining armor, and this is my adopted kit, Shippo. Be good to them Velenor. They are family and they will be treated as nothing less." Giving him a look that says I am deathly serious, he nods in understanding before approaching Sango. At first, she has a wary expression on her face but, when he simply grasps her hand and places a kiss on it, she smiles brightly and blushes. I giggle at her reaction to my sensuous demon, then he leans down his shoulder so that Shippo can jump on it. He does so and Velenor nods his head at the kit. Shippo looks to me for approval and, once I nod my head, he smiles shyly at Velenor. Shippo then frowns at Velenor and whispers so that I cannot hear him. Velenor nods slowly in response to whatever was said and I make it a note to ask Shippo about it later.

Turning toward Velenor again, I decide I should ask what he's here for, unless, of course, he simply popped in to say 'hi,' but something tells me he doesn't normally do something for no reason. With that thought in mind, I ask, "To what do we owe this pleasure, Velenor?" He quirks his brow at me for a moment and I can't help the flutter of my heart. He is so damn sexy that I want to drool, but I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he affects me, so I wait for his answer as patiently as I am able. I don't have to wait long. "I spoke to my brothers and sisters and they have asked that I bring you to them, so they can see you for themselves. You have aroused their curiosity and I was told to come and collect you. Of course, you are more than welcome to bring your friend and kit."

So, his clan wants to see me, do they? I wonder why; aside from the changes he talked about, I only did what any other miko would. He obviously thinks there is more to it than that, though, so I turn to Sango to gauge her opinion of the situation. If she doesn't approve, we will have to decline, but something tells me that the stars in her eyes aren't leaving any time soon and that she will agree simply to continue basking in his presence. Whispering quietly to the exterminator, I pose his question to her and ask her opinion. She thinks silently for a few moments, then says that we should follow him, but not for the reason that I think, as I stand there smirking. I raise my eyebrow in question and she says, "We should go so that we can find out if there are any other traits you have inherited. What better way to find out than from the clan of the very demons who tried to change you in the first place?" Looking at her for a moment, I agree, then turn toward my sexy demon once again. He gives me one of those smirks that makes me weak at the knees, then begins to walk the way he came.

We follow close behind him for a time. Surrounded almost completely by trees, we travel in comfortable silence. Without the loud-mouthed grumbling of Inuyasha and the smacks to the monk's face when he is being a pervert, we both realize that traveling like this can be very peaceful; suddenly we're looking forward to whatever comes our way. Smiling brightly, I begin to hum quietly to myself as we walk behind my demon friend. I can't help the blush that stains my cheeks when I notice how great his ass looks from where I am standing and a look over to Sango tells me she is thinking the same thing. Laughing as silently as I can, Sango gives me a questioning look, then flushes brightly when she catches on to my thoughts. The one thing I find quite interesting is that I haven't seen her this happy for a long time. It's almost as if a great weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Maybe Miroku isn't the one for her after all.

Coming out of my thoughts, I am surprised to see a large castle-type structure before us. Bad Kagome! You were so absorbed in your thoughts you were negligent to your surroundings! Kikyo taught you better than this, so you better start acting like it! Shaking my head to clear it of my scolding thoughts, I look to Velenor and see that he is watching me intently. Blushing from head to toe, I lower my head and let my bangs cover much of my face, looking at him from under the cover of my lashes. He is still looking at me with an unreadable expression and I can't help the heat that blossoms low in my belly at the sensual sweep of his eyes. It's like he's examining me little by little and stripping me of my clothes at the same time. I feel utterly exposed when he looks at me like that.

Forgetting my embarrassment for a moment, I sweep my aura around the castle we are approaching, feeling the massive amount of jyaki within, but I know that Velenor would never lead me somewhere to die. I don't honestly know why, but it's a deep-rooted feeling that I can't quite explain. Shippo starts to shake noticeably on my shoulder and my maternal instincts go on high alert. Grasping his waist and hugging him to my chest, I whisper comforting words in his little ears and tell him that, no matter what, I will always protect him. He stops shaking moments later and smiles one of those really rare smiles, then he hops back up on my shoulder to get a good view of his surroundings. Looking toward Sango, I see that she is holding Kirara much like I was holding Shippo a few moments ago. I can hear Kirara purring from here; obviously, she does not feel threatened by our surroundings in the least and that comforts me. Glancing back to Velenor, I feel his aura flare around him and then see his eyes begin to swirl in black and blue. The door of the castle seems to react to his aura and, to both mine and Sango's amazement; it opens slowly to reveal two large blood demons standing at the entrance. Both are extremely well-built, with muscles that ripple in the dying light. They look like twins, the only visible difference being their eyes. One has bright fire-red orbs and the other has eyes the color of the sea after a storm. They are tall, with long black hair that falls down to their upper thighs. Their narrow waists and long well-toned legs would make any woman drool in want. I can hear Sango's heart begin to beat a staccato in her chest at the sight these two make and I smile in response. If I didn't already have my eyes set on either Velenor or Sesshomaru, who are the two of the most beautiful demons I have ever seen, I would be swooning over these two as well.

Taking a good look at the structure we are getting ready to enter, I smile at the beauty I am surrounded by. It is much larger than it looked from a few hundred feet away and it is all large grey stone. There are long ivy vines growing up each side of the structure and the front has a wide variety of plants. There are large willow trees on each side and flowering bushes that lead up the walkway to the front entrance. There are rose bushes and lilies galore, and even the vines are beginning to flower. There are two towers that can be seen from the entrance; in all, this structure looks much like one of the many castles in Europe I have seen in all my text books. Nodding my head at the sight before me, I smile in approval and wait for the 'studs' in our way to move so we can go inside.

Velenor continues to stare at me for a few more seconds, as if gauging my reaction to our surroundings; apparently, I passed his assessment because he motions for the two before us to step aside and let us through. As they do so, I turn to each of them and ask their names. The one on the left is Oren and the one on the right is Hatchi. I smile and nod at each of them; it turns out that they are identical twins. I introduce myself, Sango, Shippo and Kirara, and they nod at each of us before letting us enter. Smiling at both of them, I follow behind Velenor as we enter the castle and walk down a long corridor. There is a large set of double doors at the end with intricate carvings of epic battles and large demons in true form. With a flick of his wrist, the doors open magically and we enter what seems to be the throne room a few seconds later.

Looking around the room as inconspicuously as possible, I flush from head to toe; one quick look at Sango tells me she is just as embarrassed as I am. I quickly duck Shippo's head to my chest, covering his eyes so he doesn't see something he is far too young to see, then try not to look at all the demons in the middle of the room. They sit on a floor covered in silk pillows, at low tables filled with wine goblets and saki, and all the occupants, except for a chosen few, are in the middle of passionate embraces. By the Gods, this is definitely not something I ever thought to see. Most of the beings are blood demons and deathly beautiful. Almost all have long, flowing, black hair and I realize it must be a common trait for the blood demon clan; I thank the Kami that it wasn't orange, or something else that might clash with my complexion. As my thoughts run wild, I look at Velenor beneath my lashes and see that, although he is walking calmly beside me, his eyes are swirling with his power and his gaze is directed right at me.

My breath catches in my throat and I nearly trip over my own two feet because that is the furthest thing from my mind. I assume that he's looking right at every beautiful blood demoness in the throes of passion and not some ordinarily plain-looking female such as myself, but I nearly swallow my tongue when his strong arm wraps around my waist and pulls me flush against him. At first I assume it is to right me before I fall in an ungraceful heap on the floor, but then I feel his other arm go around my waist and pull me even closer to his hard body. Again, I lose my breath and my heart decides to beat so fast I think I will pass out from it, then he lowers his head to mine and, just when I feel my eyelids begin to droop, a loud voice from the other side of the room calls his name and he abruptly lets me go.

Taking an immediate step back from him, I can feel a dark blush staining my cheeks, but there is nothing I can do about it. That would have been my first real kiss and it was interrupted. Nearly growling under my breath, I turn with fury in my eyes to find the perpetrator who denied me my first real kiss, and nearly losing my breath again at the demon before me. Hearing a small gasp, I look at Sango. Her face is bright red and her mouth is unintentionally hanging open, whether from shock, or surprise at his beauty, I don't know. Slowly, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I reach over and tug on one of her sleeves. She abruptly breaks eye contact with the luscious demon before us and looks to me. Her eyes are clearly thankful and I nod as imperceptively as I can. Turning back to the demon before me, I see that he is really quite gorgeous. Shimmering white hair, dark amethyst eyes and tanned skin with metallic markings make up this impressive youkai. I figure him to be feline, maybe a white tiger, but I won't know for certain until I feel his aura brush mine.

I still can't get Sango's immediate reaction out of my head though, so I deny myself my fury in favor of figuring out if Sango really thinks he is truly that beautiful. Maybe there is romance in her future after all so, looking around the room once again, my eyes stop of their own accord. I can't help but watch as a blood demoness mounts a blood demon and quickly impales herself. Gasping, as surely that must have hurt, my eyes go wide when I hear her moan of pleasure, followed closely by his own groan of ecstasy. She begins to thrust her hips and uses his shoulders as a means of keeping her balance and taking his arousal deeper into her body. She throws her head back and that is when I see her eyes are a deep fuchsia color; I nearly gasp when I see that her skin is practically glowing. Her fangs lengthen, then she digs them deep into the shoulder of the demon she is fucking. At the same time, he bites into her shoulder and their screams of pleasure nearly make me jump in fright, not expecting such a sound out of them.

A touch to my shoulder brings me back to the present and I look into the eyes of Velenor once again. He is standing within an inch of me and his eyes are swirling with the strength of his power. My heart once again begins to pound and I start to nearly pant with excitement at the promises I can see in his eyes. Suddenly, I feel another hand on my shoulder and, once I break eye contact with the enticing demon before me, I immediately relax. My heart calms and one deep breath centers me once again. There is a distinct pull to Velenor that I will have to be wary of in the future, lest I wake the next morning mated to a blood demon, having no qualms about it.

Saying a silent thank-you to Sango for her interruption, I turn back to the feline, or white tiger, or whatever he may be and, without anything else to do, I ask him the first question that pops into my head. "Hello. What is your name?" He smiles and I feel my heart begin to race once again. Scowling at my reaction to him, I desperately try to hear what he says over the pounding of my heart. "My name is Masao, priestess." I smile and then can't help myself, so I ask him another question. "What kind of demon are you, Masao?" He grins at me for a moment and I have the distinct feeling that he is mocking me for only a slight second, then he answers my question with no hint of emotion lacing his voice, although it is still rich and bold, sending shivers down both mine and Sango's spines. "I am a white tiger demon, priestess." I nod once in understanding, then speak again, noticing his eyes darken when they gaze upon my sister beside me.

"My name is Kagome and this is my sister, Sango. The kit on my shoulder is Shippo, my adopted son, and the small feline companion on Sango's shoulder is Kirara." I try to hide my smirk when I see his eyes sweep over Sango's form in obvious appraisal and one look at Sango tells me that she is doing much the same. I nearly roll my eyes at the scene, but decide to give them the privacy they obviously want. I turn to Velenor giving him a look that says I am ready to move on to more important things, but all he does is lift his eyebrow in mock interest. Scowling at him, I decide to ask what has been bothering me since we met this morning. "What exactly is my purpose here, Velenor?" He looks at me with an unreadable gaze for a few seconds, then nods his head to the back of the room where two large thrones can be seen from our vantage point.

Immediately going rigid, I pull a barrier around myself and Sango in an instant, gathering a large energy ball in my hands. My eyes blaze white with the strength of my power and I hastily seek out the threat. A large power source brushed my aura, which would not normally cause such a reaction from me, but the source is malignant and intends to do us harm. This cannot be allowed; therefore my reaction is simple, kill or be killed. Flaring my aura in this large throne room, I feel more than see all the blood demons stop their love-making and begin to back away slowly, fearing purification. Looking at each of them, I see they all have much the same features. All have long black hair, or long white hair, and all either have swirling black and blue eyes, or black and fuchsia. All are more than beautiful. The women have curves in all the right places, with endless legs, wide hips, tiny waists, flat tummies and large, pert breasts,. Their feminine faces are graced with luscious lips, perfect little noses, and white, milky skin. The men all have strong, toned legs, with tight asses and small waists, broad shoulders, six-pack abs, muscled arms and strong, claw-tipped hands. Their faces are all perfect, with kissable lips, strong noses and penetrating eyes which currently, are focused on me. All their auras are stronger than most demons, but there are two distinctly powerful auras in the back of the room, both of which are highly threatening.

Sango whispers that there are two threatening auras in the back of the room only moments after I have deduced the same thing. I ask her to hold Shippo so that I can be content in the knowledge that he is safe while I deal with the demons that dare to threaten me while in the presence of my son. My aura flares wildly around me and Velenor is suddenly in front of me, but his words are hazy and I can't distinguish one from another. My aura once again pulses in my agitation, then I calm minutely as I see the urgency in his eyes. I register, after a few moments, that Sango is warning me to be careful and that perhaps I shouldn't let my guard down in front of him, that it could be a trap. Nodding my head in understanding, I release my barrier and watch closely as he walks toward me, his purpose clear. Narrowing my eyes when he is only a breath away, I lift my eyebrow, questioning his motives. Quietly, he says, "Please do not worry Kagome, the auras that you feel are from the leaders of the blood clan. They were just testing your reflexes and the extent of your power. Please believe me when I say that they mean you no harm." The sincerity in his eyes calms my racing heart and I nod once in his direction, but I do not release the energy ball in my hands. Until I meet them and deduce whether they are a true threat, it will be sitting in my palms ready to be thrown at any moment.

Sango and I walk side by side toward the double throne at the back. I notice that Masao is walking closely by her side and I smile inwardly at the protective stance he takes up beside her. Velenor, I notice, is walking so close on my left that already his hand has brushed mine twice. If I wasn't so intent on the auras surrounding me, trying to sort out the threats, I would have blushed at least twice by now. As the elegant beings before us become clearer as we approach, I see that the female is almost as tall as her male companion. She has long, flowing white hair, fuchsia eyes, and an hourglass figure. Her male companion is her exact opposite, with long midnight hair and exotic sapphire eyes swirling with the ebony of his power. He is tall and muscular. Everything about these two screams power and respect, I also know, by the brush of their aura, that they are the ones that threatened us when we first entered the room. Forming another barrier around my companions and I in an instant, I cut off Velenor's exclamation of protest with a gesture of my hand. "If they mean us no harm, they will explain their actions when we were at the entrance to this room. If I believe them, I will consider lowering my barrier. As it stands now, no one in this room has enough power to bring it down, so don't get any ideas." His eyes begin to swirl with the power within him and I just smirk at his disgruntled look. I will not be dissuaded on this. If they make a good argument, I will release my friendly demons from within my barrier and we will leave.

Glancing at the two sickeningly beautiful beings before me, I wait for an explanation as to their actions from earlier and thankfully, I don't have to wait long. With one look at each other, almost as if to reassure themselves, they smile warmly at all of my companions and I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders. The woman steps down from her throne and approaches my barrier. Warily, she touches it for a moment then hastily clutches it to her chest as her hand sizzles from the strength of my reiki. She nods once in my direction, then looks to her partner with another nod to him, as if whatever they believed was correct, she makes her way back to the throne and sits upon it. Her hand has healed since our short encounter and she smiles once again in our direction. The male speaks and my first impression is that his voice is rich, powerful, and alluring but, most importantly, kind. "Welcome to our home, priestess. You and your companions are considered guests here for as long as you like. I know that you have questions as to why your presence was requested, as well as why our auras brushed yours in a threatening manner only a few moments ago, but please rest easy in the knowledge that we mean you no harm and no harm will come to you or your companions while in our domain."

He stops speaking for a few seconds and I quickly glance toward Sango to gauge her reaction to the beings before us. She looks right at me and nods her head in an affirmative motion. That is all I need to know before I drop the barrier without as much as a glance to anyone else. Shippo is being extremely quiet, but he is shaking uncontrollably in Sango's arms at the moment, so I don't expect him to say much. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he trusts my judgment above all others. Whispering comforting words of love in his little ears, I am rewarded when he grasps Sango's exterminator garments tighter in response and gives me a hesitant smile. Nodding my head, I glance at Velenor to see if anything so far has left an impression on him. I am secretly happy to note how close he is standing to me and the way his stance is protective. Turning to check on Sango again, I notice that Masao is standing just as protectively close to her and I try not to smile in reaction. She needs someone who will be there for her and not have to worry about being groped at every turn.

Finally, I look to the rulers of the blood demon clan and can't help the smile that breaks out. They seem so sincere and I want so desperately to believe them that, until such time as they show they are not trustworthy, I will. So, deciding I want to know what they aren't telling me, I step toward their throne and get an immediate reaction. A large, burly blood demon steps from behind the throne and swings his massive double-edged sword within inches of my throat. My reaction is instant. I gather more reiki into my palms and form an impenetrable barrier around him from the already large ball of energy I had kept in my palm just for this occasion. Turning to the rulers with a look that could kill, I begin to close my fist and watch as my barrier begins to shrink around the behemoth who dared try to lay a hand on me. Snarling toward the rulers, I tell them exactly what I think. "Is this how you greet your guests? Do you want me to purify you all right here, because I assure you that is beginning to look like my only alternative!? Where I come from, when you are invited as a guest, they make sure to keep you comfortable, not try to decapitate you on your first encounter." Closing my fist as tight as I can, I hear the screams of the behemoth inside my barrier and get a sick sense of satisfaction from it. Normally, something like that would never come to mind, but he asked for it and, if these so called rulers don't heed my warnings, they will feel my wrath as well.

The queen stands as regally as she can and I hear many of the blood demons growling and snarling. Apparently, they are demanding retribution, if I hear them correctly. Narrowing my eyes in disgust as her eyes begin to swirl with the power of her aura, I summon more reiki to the surface and my skin begins to glow a light pink. Should anyone with intent to do harm touch me, they will be purified on contact. Meanwhile, I gather more reiki into my palm and ask it to form into an unbreakable sword; it gladly acquiesces to my request. Lifting the sword, I am only moments away from starting battle with these blood demons who dared try to ambush us, when suddenly a loud thundering roar exuding much power and demanding respect sounds in the hall. All eyes turn to the owner of said roar and my eyes widen in shock when I see it was made by Velenor. Not quite understanding what is happening, but trusting him no matter what, I wait for him to say whatever it is he deems necessary to gain the attention of every living being in the process.

He turns from the rulers before us and curls his front lip to show off his lengthened fangs and deep swirling eyes. He is snarling in disgust at all the demons here, who he once called family. The effect he has on his brothers in the clan is immediate. They all back down without so much as a word. He is apparently far more powerful than anyone here; otherwise, I am sure someone would have challenged him for dominance. Once he is satisfied that there is no longer a threat from behind, he turns to the rulers and speaks, disgust and rage evident in his voice. "You dare call yourselves honorable when you would raise a hand to our guest? I brought her here in good faith, on your word that she would not be harmed. Yet, the moment she decides to give you a chance and even lets down her barrier to demonstrate her good faith, she is attacked. Why? Do you all wish to be purified? Truly? Because I know from first-hand experience that she has enough power to do it. She is the most powerful priestess to ever walk the earth, even more powerful than Midoriko. If you doubt me, please continue on this path, but do not come to me begging to live if you proceed. I shall not follow." Disgust and absolute shame for the actions of his family nearly overcome him and I cannot allow it to happen any longer, so I embrace him; I gather my aura and surround him in it, sending as much love and unconditional understanding as I can to help him overcome the deep depression he feels at being related to these dishonorable creatures before us.

Feeling movement from behind me, I see that Masao is hovering very close to Sango, his intent to keep her from harm evident in his stance. Nodding my approval for this white tiger demon who is now a contender after her heart, I release my hold on Velenor when I feel his rage and shame dissipate to more manageable levels. Taking a step away from him, I 'Eeep' loudly when he wraps his arms around me and pulls me flush against his deliciously hard body before I can do anything to stop him. Not that I would. Bad! Kagome, bad! Stop thinking bad thoughts, just feel his sinuous muscles and smell his addictive scent and, NO! Stop! Bad Kagome! Think about birds and the blue sky, so much like the color of his eyes, so deep I could fall into them and lose myself, wait NO! Damn it, Kagome, stop this nonsense, there is an immediate threat that needs to be taken care of! Yummy, sinuous muscles can be considered at a later time. Coming out of my thoughts, although slightly disappointed, I shove him back as politely as I can without hurting his feelings, then turn my attention to the matter at hand. They will either tell their brethren to back down, or there will be a massive decline in blood demons.

The Queen is still standing slightly down a few steps from her throne, her eyes are clearly trying to decipher my motives and possibly, my power level. I smile wickedly at that thought, then brush my aura against hers. If she wants to test my power, I might as well give her a taste. Her eyes widen imperceptibly and she smiles so brightly I think I might need to cover my eyes then, all of the sudden, everything stops. There is no more snarling in the back of the room. The howls of want for revenge and retribution cease and the tense atmosphere that, just a moment ago, was so thick you could cut it, is now relatively comfortable. The looks shared between my companions and I are of confusion and wariness. We will not be caught off guard again. I envelop my friends within an impenetrable barrier, waiting for the Queen to speak because she obviously has something important to say.

After a few moments, she does and her voice is so melodious and comforting, it feels as though you are coming home after a long journey. "Priestess, you are indeed powerful but, more importantly, you are wise and care for everyone, no matter their race. You are the only priestess I have ever known not to have a prejudice against demons. Your heart is all-encompassing, as you have just shown me by embracing the demon to your left. You know nothing about him, yet you felt his sorrow and shame and, without a second thought, embraced him. Not only that, but you surrounded him with your aura and fed him feelings of love and compassion, contentment and understanding, without any preamble. Your heart is true and completely pure, that is why the demon could not take over completely. You had already begun to retain some elements of the demon when it thrust your soul from your body, but your soul was much too powerful and pure for the demon to win, thus what little soul was left in your body called back what was taken, purifying the demon upon reuniting with itself. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you exactly what will become of you. There are a few things I know already, though, if you are interested."

I look at her for a few minutes, determined to get the answers to my questions, but unable to decide whether or not she can be trusted after that last little incident, so I turn to my companions. Velenor has his eyes narrowed and they are still swirling with the strength of his power but, when he turns to me, he nods his head and that's all the answer I need. Turning to Sango, I get much the same response from both her and Masao. Looking lastly to Shippo, he looks between myself and the Queen for a few minutes, then nods his head as if he has come to a dawning realization that has yet to hit the rest of us. I lift my eyebrow in question, but he simply shakes his head to indicate that now is not the time for such things, cuddling himself back into Sango's arms, content to lay there and share her warmth until we are finished here and can continue on our journey. Regardless of the circumstances, I have my answer so, once again, I lower my barrier, but my skin still glows a healthy pink. They do not have my trust, but I am willing to cooperate for a common good.

The Queen nods at my decision, then approaches me. When she is only a few feet away, she waves her hand in front of my face and I suddenly feel the brush of her aura. It is powerful and not entirely unpleasant, with the distinct feeling of compassion and nobility. I can tell, by that single sweep of her aura, that she is a good ruler; kind, considerate and unwavering when it is called for. Her husband's brush of aura is much the same in texture, but his is far darker than hers. He is willing to go much farther to get what he wants, but she is his balance, his calming force. She keeps him from losing himself to the darkness and he, in turn, keeps her from losing to the light; two halves of one greater whole and a perfect match. I am in awe for a few moments, but the trance-like state I have succumbed to is broken when her aura fades from mine.

Taking a step back from me, she looks me calmly in my eye and tells me the results of her aura sweep; much like a palm reading or crystal divination in the future. "The first thing you need to know is that the demon has a specific way of dominating the host before turning it. First to come is enhanced vision and hearing, though I suspect that you haven't noticed the hearing yet. Wait and see. I have no doubt it will become apparent soon enough. The next step for the demon is a much faster healing rate and of course, immortality. The last is the thirst for blood, human blood preferably, but you did not inherit that trait, dear. If you had, I assure you there would have been a massacre on your way here. When we are first turned, we engorge ourselves with as much blood as we can because the thirst is so strong. You are not a human, that is absolutely certain, because of the traits you have acquired, but I suspect that you retain all except for the thirst. Whether you are an immortal will remain to be seen. The only way we can be killed is by cutting off our heads or shoving a wooden stake through our hearts. A larger demon can eat us and that seems to kill us as well, but we try to stay away from larger demons that are capable of such feats."

"Perhaps you would like to find out for certain? That can be arranged." This new voice is one I haven't had the pleasure of hearing until now. Turning slightly to my right, I notice a large blood demon standing about thirty feet from Velenor. He has the common hair and eyes for a male blood demon and is not overly muscular, but his aura is flaring wildly about him in an obvious attempt to lure me into a false sense of superiority. Even from here, I know that he has vastly suppressed his aura in hopes of tricking me into accepting a battle with him at his current power level. He must think that I am beyond stupid if he thinks I would fall for something so easily but, one look to my companions, and I decide what the hell, you only live once, right? So turning to the ignorant blood demon, I smirk back at Sango and she deliberately cowers in fear for a moment before smirking right back at me. Now I know that she senses his real power level as well and has no need to worry for me. Masao has amusement in his eyes and Velenor has a dark look of what seems like appreciation and lust. My eyes go wide for a second, but I pass it off as misreading him. Why would he feel such things now? So, disregarding my previous attempts at trying to read him, I decide to get down to business. Gathering my reiki, I center myself and ready for battle. Maybe he will be a challenge after all, but one brush of his aura says differently. Pouting slightly at the lack of anything resembling a good fight to get the juices flowing and whatnot, I look to the queen and she simply nods her head in agreement to the battle.

Well then, let the games begin.

Alright everyone, that is all for now. Sorry about the longer wait, but chapter 5 was the last prewritten chapter I had finished. Hopefully the chapters will pick up as I get deeper into the plot and the action. Until then, I hope this satisfied you. I know it isn't as exciting as the rest, but this is a transitional chapter so that the rest of the story can unfold. Please review and tell me what you think and thank you again for reading. Until we meet again, Ja.


	7. Chapter 7

Alright everyone, this is the seventh installment of Blood for Blood. I can▓t tell you all how much your reviews meant to me; each one was better than the last and really made me feel overwhelmed by the sheer response I received from all my reviewers. I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to do so. And now to get on to business. I am soo sorry it took soo long for this chapter, but I started school again, desperate to finish my degree, but I hope this placates all my readers and I promise to get the next chapter out as soon as I can┘┘.

All the usual disclaimers apply. I do NOT own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries within.

Now, to thank my beta, WiccanMethuselah for all her hard work in fixing my mistakes. Thanks so much for all your help. You give my writing that extra kick that really makes it shine, so thanks again and much love to you and yours. This next thanks goes out to my friend Amy, without whom this chapter wouldn▓t be nearly as funny. Much love to you and yours my friend and I hope you come over soon to watch more anime┘.lol

One more note to add. To all my readers, I am using Masao, a lesser Northern Lord and white tiger demon in my story. If he seems familiar, he is from the story ▒Masquerade▓ by Sada and I have her express permission to borrow him. In return, she is going to use my character, Velenor, in one of her upcoming fics. Please do not accuse either of us with plagiarism. We both agreed to a swap for our greedy little imaginations to conjure many yummy things to do to each of them. Thanks!

Blood for Blood Chapter 7 Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Last time on Blood for Blood

⌠Perhaps you would like to find out for certain? That can be arranged.■ This new voice is one I haven▓t had the pleasure of hearing until now. Turning slightly to my right, I notice a large blood demon standing about thirty feet from Velenor. He has the common hair and eyes for a male blood demon and is not overly muscular, but his aura is flaring wildly about him in an obvious attempt to lure me into a false sense of superiority. Even from here, I know that he has vastly suppressed his aura in hopes of tricking me into accepting a battle with him at his current power level. He must think that I am beyond stupid if he thinks I would fall for something so easily but, one look to my companions, and I decide what the hell, you only live once, right? 

So turning to the ignorant blood demon, I smirk back at Sango and she deliberately cowers in fear for a moment before smirking right back at me. Now I know that she senses his real power level as well and has no need to worry for me. Masao has amusement in his eyes and Velenor has a dark look of what seems like appreciation and lust. My eyes go wide for a second, but I pass it off as misreading him. Why would he feel such things now? So, disregarding my previous attempts at trying to read him, I decide to get down to business. Gathering my reiki, I center myself and ready for battle. Maybe he will be a challenge after all, but one brush of his aura says differently. Pouting slightly at the lack of anything resembling a good fight to get the juices flowing and whatnot, I look to the queen and she simply nods her head in agreement to the battle.

Well then, let the games begin.

Now

Beginning to stalk my prey, I advance slowly, deliberately antagonizing this demon whose stubborn pride is taking control, otherwise I am certain he would have already backed down. Even now, I can sense his unease as he feels the full power of my aura surrounding him, though I am still quite a few feet away. There are only a few outcomes to this and if he doesn▓t back down, all look grim for him. Regardless of my regret for this eventual outcome, I will not hesitate to bring him down, although as of yet I haven▓t decided whether to end his life. As a miko, I do not condone violence and abhor killing, but now that I am no longer simply a miko, perhaps my outlook on things should change as well? I never thought about it until now, but even if I am a hybrid Vampire, I am still first and foremost a miko, therefore I will not kill him, but I will make sure he never underestimates me again.

Out the corner of my eye, I can see the still heated look on Velenor▓s face and I wonder if the thought of me in a battle for dominance is making him horny. Giggling internally like a giddy school girl, I quickly put that out of my mind. I will not be able to concentrate on this upcoming battle if I continue with that train of thought. Instead, I look to Masao, who is currently standing within an inch of Sango and the look in his eyes tells me that he felt an immediate attraction to my sister in arms the moment he saw her and that comforts me to know she will be taken care of. Frowning in thought for a second, I wonder what Masao, a white tiger demon, is doing within the lair of a Blood clan in the middle of the nowhere. Casting a line to hold tight to that thought until I get an answer for it, I put it out of my mind as well and finally focus on the agitated demon in front of me.

Apparently he doesn▓t take kindly to being ignored and I have been doing just that. Smiling brightly in his direction, I call upon my reiki and feel it bubble right beneath the surface. My skin begins to glow a light pink and I immediately feel empowered. There is a massive well of magick flowing within my veins that did not previously exist. Whatever happened, I have no time to think on it as the impulsive demon before me lunges toward my supposedly unprotected back. Just because I turned my back on him doesn▓t mean I am not paying attention. He is after all an enemy at the moment, and the first rule of battle is to keep at least one eye on your enemy at all times. So, it came as a shock to everyone around me when the demon lunging toward me literally hit a brick wall of pure unadulterated power that sent him sailing toward the far wall within this keep.

I can▓t help the smirk that appears on my face at his audacity. He obviously thinks that I am much less of a warrior. I may not be the Legendary Miko, Midoriko, but that doesn▓t make me weak, especially considering it was the purity within my very soul that destroyed the demon within. How dare this pathetic excuse for a demon think so lowly of me! I can feel my aura flare around me as my anger takes hold and I revel in the feeling of such power at my fingertips. I have never had such limitless reserves on my reiki until now and the feel of it wrapping itself around me in a sensual caress has me keening in response. My eyes begin to glow with a holy light and before I can stop myself, a large burst of power separates from my body and hits the attacking demon in the chest with such force that he shatters into hundreds of pieces before dissolving into ash. His remains float softly to the floor and I don▓t give him another look as I turn to the other blood demons in the crowd that moments before had threatening auras. Now all I can sense is a vast unease surrounding me and the smirk that overtakes my face has no hope of being hidden.

I allow my power to slowly flow back into my soul and when it settles I smile in contentment before turning my gaze to Sango. She is smiling brightly in amazement at my abilities and I feel a sudden sense of pride overtake me. A glance to Masao tells me that he is vastly impressed with my abilities and one look to Velenor and his heated gaze has my breath catching in my throat. Quickly averting my eyes, I find my attention being drawn to the Queen before me and I suddenly realize that not only do I not know her name, but she is holding a long thickly braided rope in her hand and she is beckoning my forward. Allowing my feet to guide me to her position, I feel a sudden sense of unease for only a moment and then I am falling down a long tunnel with limited lighting. Hitting hard, I stumble and fall, desperately trying to brace myself for the inevitable. Shooting pain runs the length of my spine as I finally settle on the cold unforgiving ground and I groan inaudibly at the sensations coursing through my body. Gently lifting my hands to roam my extremities, I check for any broken bones and am surprised to find I have none. That fall must have been at least thirty feet. Of course, now that I am a hybrid of sorts, I suppose I shouldn▓t be shocked I am unharmed, but this is still somewhat surprising.

Realizing that I have been laying on the cold hard ground for a few minutes now, I slowly begin to rise and look up to the tunnel I recently vacated. I can see the face of the Queen who is gonna get an ass whooping when I am out of here and looking to her immediate left, I see Velenor. My shocked eyes widen noticeably when I see that his face shows no emotion, but his eyes hold a vast amount of regret. I shake my head to clear it of useless thoughts and then I hear the voice of the Queen. Practically snarling under my breath, I wait for her to finish before I relieve her of her life.

⌠Priestess Kagome, you are now entering a right of passage. Before you is a maze of deadly traps; danger at every turn. You must find your way out of it alive as a demonstration that you are worthy of becoming part of our clan. Do this, and I will name you heir to my throne, for I have no immediate blood ties and I believe you to be the strongest blood demon among us. Should you pass this test, all you see will be yours and you may pick any male you deem worthy to be your King, or rule alone. One last thing priestess, I have yet to introduce you to my King▓s son, Velenor. He was the Prince of the Blood Clan and heir to the throne until you showed me your power. As Queen, I decide who will reign supreme and I have chosen you. Do not fail me priestess and I will crown you this night.■

Her voice fades from my hearing and I nearly scream my frustration to the night. I just became a hybrid DAMIT! I don▓t even know the extent of my abilities and I am being tested so I can become a freakin▓ royal? What the hell am I supposed to do now? What if I don▓t want to become a princess and then later a queen?? This isn▓t fair at all!!! And to top it all off, how the fuck do I even get out of here?? Getting angrier by the second, I feel my reiki stir to life underneath my skin. I begin to glow a bright pink in response to my tumultuous emotions and the light I emit helps me see more clearly down the long hallway, tunnel, thing I am standing in. Suddenly, I get this incredibly creepy dejavu feeling as I remember a movie I watched once that scared the shit out of me. I believe it was called ▒The Cube,▓ and I was about eleven. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards and suddenly they all come rushing back as I see the high walls, sleek surfaces and the powerful scent of jyaki in the air.

From behind my position, I suddenly feel another flare of jyaki, but this energy is extremely familiar. Turning to look, I am shocked and appalled to see a floating eye before me. It is the color of the coldest amber and the feeling of his jyaki coupled with his eye, tell me that this is the work of Sesshomaru and I instantly feel relief. Don▓t ask me why, but knowing that I am now not the only one going through this ridiculous maze is a comforting thought.

I take a deep breath in an attempt to steady myself, ⌠a test, well, how bad can it be, right? I take tests on a bimonthly basis, most of them I don▓t even have time to study for,■ I nod to assure myself, ⌠right, I can do this.■ The walls around me are dank and smell very acrid, as though death and decay are the area▓s closest friends. My nose wrinkles in spite of the uncertainty settling in the pit of my stomach, ⌠nice place, this┘■ I step lightly through a patch of indeterminate liquid. I can see the spectral eye ease down to the liquid, then float back to it▓s usual place of just a few inches behind my shoulder, ⌠hope you▓re enjoying the show,■ I roll my eyes and keep walking.

It isn▓t long until I hit a wall; my eyes adjusting to the near absence of light tell me I am in a room with four walls, fairly close together, ⌠ohhhhkaaay,■ I look around, ⌠I don▓t see any doors or passages, so there must be-oh!■ One of my hands reach out to the wall nearest to me in an effort to steady the body attached to it, and the rune under my hand begins to glow, ⌠glowing wall runes┘ I wonder┘■ inspecting the wall, I find three more runes. Touching them makes them all light up, but no door opens. Instead, I hear the sound of very old stones grinding against one another, trying to maneuver to some unknown end. In the center of the four runes was once an open space, small holes are now opening in this space, ⌠I can▓t fit through there!■ I inform them.

The holes don▓t seem to care and respond by sending out a multitude of sharp, jagged spikes, ⌠SHIT!!■ My right hand flies behind me, pulling my arm and subsequently my body to the left, narrowly missing the spikes. Of course, such a sudden jerk sends the momentum into my left arm before I can stop it and quite presently, there is a nice gash in my left sleeve, sliced clean through to my bicep, ⌠ah!■ The left-most spike stops just centimeters from the spectral eye behind my shoulder. Somewhere, far away, the mighty demon lord nearly jumps right out of his skin.

I reach across my torso and grip the injury, ⌠what was that for?!■ I yell at the now retreating spikes, ⌠I light up the runes and you try to skewer me?!■ The runes lose their glow, becoming dim once more, inviting me to touch them again, ⌠Oh, I▓m REALLY motivated to try again,■ I grumble, assessing the amount of blood I am losing from my arm.

About ten minutes and 6 near misses later, I light up the runes in the correct order and hear more stone shifting, ⌠oh, come on! You▓re not going to make me go through every possible combination, are you?!■ My hands flex as my heels dig into the ground, ready to spring out of harm▓s way again. Astoundingly, though, the spikes don▓t pop out. Instead, stones shift into a very obvious portal to my left. ⌠Left, that▓s all you give me is left?■ Silence. ⌠┘okay, left it is,■ I heave a sigh and step into the newly formed passageway. The path is circular and I have to step up into it, ⌠the fun never stops┘■ at the end of the passage is another room, much like the one I was just in, only there are no runes.  
⌠No runes, no marks, no┘ nothing,■ I sigh as I hop down into the new room, ⌠so, what now?■ I demand of the faceless walls, ⌠I go back and play ▒touch the rune▓ some more until a different door opens up?■ A sharpened spear falls down from the ceiling, coming within inches of my nose, making me go cross-eyed as it shoots down my length. As it strikes fast in the ground, I swallow and peer around it. Ten more just like it are still wiggling with force, now stuck fast in the ground.

Looking up to the ceiling from whence the spike came, broken words can be read, ⌠only, when, 11 becomes 9, will the way, forward┘ be revealed,■ I read brokenly as the letters are obviously ancient and beaten. ⌠11 becomes 9┘■ I look at the spikes. Promptly, I take two of them out of the ground and toss them into the passageway I came through, ⌠okay; 11 just became 9; let me out of here!■ I ram my fist onto a nearby wall when absolutely nothing happens.

⌠She never was one for subtlety┘■ Sesshomaru sighs, having already figured out the solution. Back in the puzzle, his spectral eye floats down to the sticks in the hallway and begin to spin violently. ⌠What▓s with you?■ I ask the eye, looking quizzically at it.  
The eye bobs up and down, gazing from the sticks in the passage to the sticks still stuck fast in the ground. ⌠What┘ you▓re saying I need those?■ The eye bobs in place. ⌠But, 11 becomes 9┘ if I bring those two back in here, it▓ll still be 11.■ The eye nearly falls out of the air.

⌠Unless┘ unless, it doesn▓t mean LITERALLY 11┘■ I pick up the sticks from the passage and lay them on the ground. Methodically, I pull out each of the remaining 9 sticks and lay them next to the original 2, ⌠11 becomes 9, 11 becomes 9┘ how can 11 become 9┘■

Sesshomaru is cultivating an aneurysm from the tricks he has made the eye perform, ⌠┘damn the eye, what I need is a spectral hand,■ his left hand flexes and crackles, just itching to reach out, solve the puzzle, and move on. ⌠I can▓t think of any numbers I can make with sticks!■ I yell out in frustration, ⌠wait a second┘ numbers might not be written with sticks but words are┘■ A few minutes of man-handling spears into position on my knees produce ⌠\ \ .■ ⌠There, 11 sticks spell out 9, something better-■ Stones begin to grate on one another, and a passageway opens up to my right, ⌠great┘ another ▒go this way or don▓t▓ option. Whoever built this place was real imaginative.■

⌠Here we go again┘.this better be the way out or I am going to get pissed!■ Looking around this new room, I see a message scrawled on the ceiling that is no longer legible. Taking a closer look, I see that the message was probably written with one of the large rocks littering the ground surrounding me. Growling under my breath, I look back at the supposedly ▒invisible spectral eye▓ with growing apprehension. When nothing is forthcoming, I give the ▒eye▓ a pointed look and even it does a simple move as if to shrug as well. Of course, Sesshomaru would now be of no use to me. Great! What the hell am I supposed to do now???

A loud thundering growl suddenly rips through the room and I turn around to face whatever just snuck up on me, only to discover there is nothing there. What the hell?? Whipping around violently, I turn around and around, but nothing is forthcoming. Deciding I should center myself, I take a deep breath and then send out my aura in a massive sweep of this despicable maze. A few seconds later, I find a large powerful jyaki in the room adjacent to mine. So, the growl came from the beast beyond this door? Another loud growl shakes the foundation of this room and I know instantly that there is more than one demon just ahead. Shaking my head in disbelief, I only prey to all the Kami that I make it out of this alive. Because when I do, I am gonna kick the ▒so-called▓ Queen▓s ASS!!!

The room in which I stand, aside from whatever is written on the far wall, is completely void of anything. The walls are clear of what I would use to open a hidden door and the way is shut so I can▓t go back from where I came. I tiredly sit down on the floor beneath me and put my head in my hands. Sesshomaru▓s spectral eye slowly lowers itself to eye level with me (no pun intended, LOL) and I look to it boredly. When there are no answers hidden deep within the cold amber gaze, I feel the stress of the day begin to make short work of what little energy I have left. Wariness settles in my bones and I feel my eyelids begin to drift shut. I am falling into a reluctant sleep and though I am still wary of my surroundings, I can do nothing to stop myself from drifting off.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years, could have passed for all the good my instincts do for me when I am literally picked up and thrown into the far wall. Hearing a definite crack and knowing I just broke something, but not having the faintest clue as to what exactly, probably due to the fact that my whole body aches, my eyes fly open and they land upon a large dragon-like creature. I can see Sesshomaru▓s ▒eye▓ warily floating just a few inches from my face. But I am delighted when I realize that this demon before me cannot see him. There are long thick scales covering this being and what little light illuminates him show me they are a sickly green color. His coloring looks to be a mixture of pea soup and vomit and his face is even less appealing with bright yellow eyes and a large nose currently expelling tendrils of smoke that rise above him before dispersing in the air. He has a long mighty tail with large scales covering his thick hide. One hiss from him and I see that his tongue is also split much like a snakes would be. He is built much like that of a body builder from my time and the finishing touch on this monstrosity before me is his long razor sharp talons that look like they will skin me alive in seconds.

He is slowly circling me as if he is trying to determine whether I am an immediate threat. As If Dragon Boy! You just broke my spine, or at least part of it from what I can tell and I don▓t think I will be getting up for a few moments, but that doesn▓t mean I can▓t purify you from here. Shuddering lightly as a wave of pain rips through my body and makes me cry out; I literally feel my spine repairing itself. So, it seems I did acquire the healing ability of my demon. I take comfort in that thought before another wave of pain crashes into me. Practically seizing on the floor now, I look out of my squinted eyes and see that the demon has a sadistic smirk on his face. It seems that my pain is amusing to him, so as soon as I am healed, I fully intend on wiping that smirk of his face. Growling quietly, I look on in interest as Sesshomaru▓s eye begins to circle the beast before me, as if sizing up his opponent. Not much help at the moment, but it could become useful if he is immune to my purification.

With Sesshomaru

On the outside of the Blood Clan▓s keep, Sesshomaru paces in agitation as he determines the best way to exterminate the immediate threat. Unfortunately, he realizes that even if he does discover its weakness, there is no real way to communicate his findings to the miko. Growling under his breath as he loses even more patience and considers barging in there after her, he suddenly stops short and his eyes widen in shock. Of course! Why didn▓t he think of this before? Closing his eyes in concentration for a moment, he brings his hands together as if to prey and then abruptly opens them to form a cup in the palms of his hand. Blowing softly in the middle of them, he waits patiently as a bright flash of light nearly blinds him and then in its place is a dagger made of the finest materials and imbued with his poison. He had this dagger specially made long ago, before he had mastered his poisonous attributes. He needed to use this in place of his abilities until such time as he felt confident in himself. He had been very young, just coming into his powers and training at the time and nearly forgot he still kept it with him, safely tucked away in a special containment field within his person, locked away with powerful magic. It was as sharp as his claws and just as deadly. This would do nicely to help the miko out of this situation if his suspicion that her purification would be useless against this demon was correct. Grabbing the hilt, he began to whisper the words of his traveling spell. Usually, he needed to be at full strength to use this incantation, but this trifle object was far smaller than his great size and would hardly scratch the surface of his well of power.

Cutting his finger to use a drop of his blood as the power source for the spell, he called upon the magic within him, inherited from his mother. She was born from a long line of powerful Sorceresses, usually only given to the women of the line, but every thousand years, a Sorcerer was born within the family that was far stronger than his predecessors. He was taught at a young age to harness his gift and by the time he was twenty years old by human standards, he had already surpassed his mother in power. He smiled wistfully at the memory of her smiling face after telling him that she had never been more proud of her son than at that moment.

Coming back to the present, he watches in satisfaction as the dagger disappears from his fingertips. Moments later, his spectral eye watches as it appears right in front of the miko. She looks shocked for a moment before she quickly snatches it out of the air and tightens her grip on the hilt and slowly begins to stand. The dragon before her growls in rage at seeing his prey able to move and then lunges for her throat in desperation as she just as quickly dodges. Slashing the demon in his forearm with a quickness he didn▓t realize she had, she jumps out of the way as she barely misses getting cut in half when he swipes at her in retaliation. Sesshomaru smiles at the miko▓s show of strength after all she has been through in the last few hours and then all of the sudden, everything goes dark. His spectral eye has nothing in his vision, almost as if something as been thrown over it. He uses his magic to try and shake whatever is hindering the eye and then suddenly he can see inside that small room again. Glancing around it quickly, he sees that Kagome is looking at him with what appears to be gratefulness. He sees something lying near her feet and then realizes that she somehow killed the demon while he couldn▓t see.

Back in the Maze

I am watching the dragon warily as he circles me very slowly, eyes watching my every move. I am just about to call on my power when suddenly a glowing green dagger appears before my face. I am beyond shocked for a moment before I realize that this too has the scent of Sesshomaru surrounding it and I grab it without hesitation, gripping the hilt of the dagger until my knuckles turn white. I begin to stand as non threatening as possible so as not to get attacked before I am on my feet, but my foe growls suddenly in anger and then lunges at me, intent on ripping my throat out from the looks of it, but I move away at the last second and manage to slash the demon across his arm in the process. Of course, this only makes him angrier and I jump away just in time not to get sliced in half. This game of cat and mouse is quickly getting old though, so I decide to finish this fight as fast as I can. Using the dagger as a throwing knife, I throw it as hard as I can a second after I flood it to overflowing with my reiki. It hits my dragon opponent right between the eyes when it was in the process of lunging toward me again. Once I am certain he is dead, I glance around the room and notice that apparently during one of his lunges, he dropped a piece of cloth and it just happened to land on the ▒spectral eye▓. Quickly removing the offending object, I smile gratefully toward my demon protector when I see that the ▒eye▓ has finally looked to me after making sure the demon is dead.

Looking around the room once more, I still see nothing to indicate a way out of here and I begin to get very agitated. Sitting on the floor once more, I suddenly remember the piece of cloth that the demon attacking me dropped and pull it out of my pocket. Looking it over and hoping against hope that there will be something to help me escape this hell, I nearly squeal in glee when I see that there are some letters on it. Squinting my eyes to read whatever language this is, I scowl in frustration when I see that it is no language I have ever read before, nor do I recognize the dialect. Holy hell! This is going to take forever. Glancing toward my ▒eye▓ friend, I turn the tissue type cloth in my hand so that it can see the writing as well. It bobs for a few minutes before it begins to spin violently, as if trying to tell me that it knows what I must do to get out of this situation. Anxiety rips through me when I realize that it isn▓t nearly as quiet as it was a few minutes ago and I quickly give the room another once over.

To the left of my position, I see a door begin to slide away from the seamless wall of only moments ago. Knowing ahead of time that this was the second powerful demon I sensed before my first surprise guest, I quickly gain my feet and lunge for the dagger still in the exposed throat of the dragon demon I just defeated. Turning quickly, I stare in shock when I come face to face with another demon that has been dead for many years, or so I was told. Tall, broad shouldered, devilishly handsome and extremely familiar, before me stood none other than Lord InuTaisho. Mouth gaping open in shock, I quickly look toward Sesshomaru▓s eye and see the anger and distrust within. Whatever this demon before me was, it was not nor would it ever be Lord InuTaisho, which was the clear message being transmitted from the eye before me. Gathering my power around me, I flood the passageway and room with my reiki, feeling my energy flow over this imposter, I smile gleefully when I suddenly realize that not only is this not InuTaisho, but it is a mischievous fox demon with a very powerful illusion spell cloaking his usual scent and power signature, masking his deceit and thinking that because I am human, I will not smell the lie. Well, I might have once been human, but I am no longer and my nose is as good or better than Sesshomaru▓s own. It will take more than a simple concealing spell to trick this miko and for underestimating me, he will pay dearly.

⌠So, what do we have here?■ Turning away from my invisible protector and toward this imposter, I narrow my eyes and await his response. Thankfully, I don▓t have to wait long. A few moments later, he speaks in a low and commanding voice, probably the perfect imitation of InuTaisho himself, but it matters not to me. ⌠I am Lord InuTaisho, father to Sesshomaru of the Western Lands and I am here to warn you of things to come should you follow down this dangerous path.■ Snorting derisively, I try to cover my humor so that I can get as much information out of him as possible before ending this game. ⌠You are InuTaisho, you say? Well then, I am Kagome, reincarnation of the Miko Midoriko and keeper of the Shikon Jewel. I am a friend to both your sons and look forward to talking with you about your shared pasts.■ InuTaisho▓s eyes widen comically suddenly, as if he didn▓t realize I knew both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Nearly breaking my impassive stance to laugh fitfully, I steel my resolve and continue this charade. Perhaps deciding on another tactic, he drops his concealing spell. So, the fox has caught on sooner than I hoped. Oh well, maybe I can get more out of him the hard way. Gleefully, I gather my replenished energies around me in an impenetrable shield. Wow. I totally dig this whole hybrid thing. Maybe I can fly or something. Snorting in merriment, I come back to my senses when I feel his jyaki begin to swirl around the room in obvious fury at my amusement at his expense. He snarls loudly and lunges toward me, oblivious to my shield, or perhaps thinking he can break it. Waiting patiently for him to wear himself out, I stand relatively at ease as he continues to charge my shield, without success. Smelling the burning of flesh, I wrinkle my nose as he refuses to back down. Deciding to try my hand at getting him to stop, I gather a large energy ball in my palms and condense the power as much as possible. When I am satisfied that it will only stun him into submission, I throw it at his charging form and watch with baited breath as I see the impact to his chest. The reaction is immediate. His limbs lock up instantly and his eyes widen in astonishment as he realizes that he cannot escape my trap until I dispel the energy. His jyaki flaring wildly about him in an attempt to free himself, I see the resignation cross his face before he stares at me with something akin to defiance.

Nodding once, I remove my barrier and approach the fox demon. His eyes narrow into slits and suspicion is easy to read on his features as I come within inches of him. Having frozen everything save his face so that he may speak in answer of my questions, I give him a few moments before saying anything. Thinking the best way to get him talking is the direct approach; I look him straight in the eyes and begin my interrogation. ⌠What is your real name?■ I figure I might be able to get some information from him if I treat him as a friend. His eyes widen at my question, but then his face softens noticeably at the sincerity in my voice. ⌠I am called Hiroshi.■ Sensing no deceit from him, I nod once and ask my next question. ⌠Why did you try and deceive me into thinking that you were InuTaisho?■ ⌠That is a simple answer priestess. InuTaisho was a powerful demon lord and was able to sway lesser beings with ease. I thought that you would be as easily fooled as the rest that have fallen on my sword. I was mistaken.■

Thinking on his answer, I decide that I might be able to use this demon to my advantage, considering his answer just informed me in no uncertain terms that he has been here for years at the least. Smiling my most winning smile, I release the barrier holding him with a wave of my hand and hope that he is willing to hear me out before trying to unsuccessfully kill me again. His incredulous eyes are upon me in a second, while his hands immediately flex, claws outstretched in a position that I can only assume is designed to take off my head. Frowning in displeasure, I call forth my reiki and then suddenly feel a second jyaki in the air, only this time it is directly behind me. SHIT!

Emerging from the hellish cube that has been my prison for Kami only knows how long, exhausted, drenched in blood, sweat and tears, I practically crawl on my hands and knees to the throne off to my left. Standing slowly, albeit a bit shakily, I approach the Queen with nothing but contempt and disdain on my face, determined to tell her exactly what I think about her. But suddenly, I see movement from the corner of my eye, with no hope of defending myself with my waning strength, I merely turn toward my attacker, intent on using the last ounce of power I possess to take the bastard with me, when suddenly, I see a silver flash of light and then I am being swept into the arms of a deliciously handsome Taiyoukai. Squealing suddenly at the abrupt change of events, I feel the last vestiges of sanity I possess leave me and with it my consciousness.

I don▓t know how long I was unconscious, but when I woke, the most glorious site to ever be seen is gracing me with his naked backside as he bathes in what I only assume is a spring of some sort. My eyes widen comically and I can▓t help the surprised gasp that escapes me when I suddenly realize that he is turning around.

OH MY GOD!!!!!

Alright everyone, that is gonna do it for now. I am sorry again about the long delay, but I couldn▓t help it. I was caught up in massive amounts of homework, but I promise to get the next installment out in a much more timely manner. Take care until next time and in case any of you are wondering, yes I purposefully paused back in the cube and yes there will be a flashback about what happened afterward, but that is for another time and place.  
Lots of luv!!! 


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone! I am soo sorry it took so long for this chapter to get out, but with school and work, I have had very little time to do much else. The good news is, I will have another chapter out in about two weeks or so because my schedule isn't quite as hectic as it has been. Please note that I haven't had this beta'd yet because I was in such a rush to get it out to you all, but I am sending this to Wiccan as soon as I finish posting this.

On another note, please leave me some feedback about this chapter, whether good or bad and I will make sure to update faster should I be inspired. As always, I do NOT own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries within. Take care everyone and have a Merry Christmas if I don't post again before then.

Blood for Blood

Chapter 8

Afternoon Fantasies with a dash of Cold Water

Last time on Blood for Blood…..

I don't know how long I was unconscious, but when I woke, the most glorious site to ever be seen is gracing me with his naked backside as he bathes in what I only assume is a spring of some sort. My eyes widen comically and I can't help the surprised gasp that escapes me when I suddenly realize that he is turning around.

OH MY GOD!

Now…..

A blush overtakes my body in embarrassment, my eyes widen in shock and then I realize that Sesshomaru is walking toward me, his horse dick swaying with each step! Holy Hell! Look at the size of that thing! What in God's name does he feed it? Suddenly realizing that he has stopped walking and is now standing in front of me, I EEP loudly and quickly upright myself. Looking into his eyes, I notice the smug satisfaction on his face and immediately feel my temper flare. Damn him, he did that on purpose! Growling low in my throat, I feel my reiki rise in response to my emotional upheaval. His grin turns malicious and the look in his eyes turns heated. What the hell is with demons all of a sudden? As soon as my aura spikes, they go all psycho on me, lust evident in their eyes. Could that be a side effect of my hybrid status that I am just learning about? I wonder how far I can take this…..perhaps a demonstration is in order? Cackling loudly in my head, I decide to give it a try.

Hmmm…. I might be able to use this to my advantage. Decisions, decisions…grinning devilishly at the handsome taiyoukai in front of me, I see wariness flicker in his eyes before they once more close off. Deciding to get some payback for his earlier display, I shimmy toward him, making sure to sway my hips in a deliberate attempt to crack the ice. He does not move an inch, but I do see the change in his eyes almost immediately. Slowly, they grow bright in his lust and before I can even finish my little teasing act, I am pinned to a tree just south of the spring he was bathing in.

Gasping in shock at his sudden move, I begin to buck my hips and struggle to free my hands from his strong grip, but his thundering warning growl has me pausing and before I realize the implications of understanding his threat, his lips are upon mine in the most possessive kiss I have ever been privy to. Heart thundering in my chest, I moan almost inaudibly as one hand releases a wrist to latch onto my breast, pinching a nipple until it is swollen and sensitive. I can feel my arousal building as he begins to rock his hips into mine and my response is to rock back. The feel of his delicious body against mine is doing wicked things. His other hand releases me and I immediately tangle my hands in the moonshine silk he has for hair. His rumbling growl of approval rips through my body and leaves me panting in its wake.

Scratching his scalp and then turning my attention to his oversensitive ears, I use my claws to further incite his passion. By the Gods, if I had known Sesshomaru the ice prince could make my body feel like I was on fire, I would have jumped his bones long ago. Giggling insatiably at that sudden thought, I feel him still his movements and break the heated kiss. Taking the opportunity to breathe, I gulp air into my desperate lungs and before he can attack my lips again, I flare my aura wildly in hopes that he will get the hint. While I do not deny a deep seeded attraction to the inuyoukai, I do not plan to give my innocence to just anyone. Besides, I happen to find Velenor just as attractive and at least his personality doesn't suck. Biting my lip suddenly so as not to burst out laughing again, I step away from the tree and walk calmly toward the delicious male before me.

Eyes widening in shock suddenly, I stop my forward stride and concentrate. Remembering my lessons about demons and their mating rituals, I panic. Realization dawns when I remember the heat every demoness goes through. Could that be what is drawing all the male demons to me like moths to a flame? If I am going into my first heat as a hybrid, or whatever I am, I need to find somewhere safe to seclude myself. Where the hell can I go where I will be safe from the horny males that will do everything they can to get in my pants?

Coming out of my thoughts abruptly, the feeling of warm breaths ghosting over the back of my neck makes my body involuntarily shudder. Is this why Sesshomaru is acting this way? It has to be! There is no other possible explanation for his behavior. He has never even glanced my way with anything more than disgust in his eyes, there is no reason for that to change now. Nodding my head in agreement with my silent musing, I turn around and erect a hasty barrier around Sesshomaru just as he moves to grab me again. Taking a good long look at the demon lord before me, I see that his eyes are slightly pink. Knowing that he is under the influence of his beast and wouldn't be trying to fuck me otherwise is a hard blow and I feel a pang of disappointment flash through me before I shake it off, determined not to let him get to me.

"Sesshomaru, before I release you and return to the Vampire clan to give the Queen a swift ass kicking, I just wanted to say thanks for your help in the cube. I don't know why you did it, but you have my appreciation, even though I know you weren't helping me because you wanted to, but because you had some ulterior motive that I don't know about. " Taking a deep breath, I finish my long winded speech.

"Once I remove the barrier, I am going to make a hasty retreat. Do not try to follow me or I will be forced to trap you in another barrier. This time, it will last much longer than this one because I will not release it until I am back within the Clan." Hearing his growl of disapproval and rage at my whispered words, I smile slightly. It's hard to get used to, this power. I have never been able to even make Sesshomaru glance my way and now he is mad because I am leaving. How ironic! Giggling slightly to myself, I turn around sharply and dispel the energy that surrounds his angered form.

Feeling his jyaki flood the area in a direct attempt to instill fear in me, I narrow my eyes in distaste and flare my aura in return. Another warning growl issues forth and I pay it no heed as I continue to flare my aura, nodding in satisfaction as I feel his jyaki begin to wane. Knowing he is a formidable foe and that his jyaki will replenish rapidly, I make a quick exit. I feel his eyes following my every move and before I am out of sight, I make sure to sway my hips with a little extra oomph. Smirking wickedly when I hear a lustful growl in response to my actions, I use a burst of speed to get out of sensory range for the both of us. He will never know it if I have anything to do with it, but that demon could melt me into a pile of goo with one word. His sinfully delicious voice should be illegal.

Shutting down my thoughts abruptly so that I can enjoy the wind blowing through my hair and the freedom of this new strength, I feel myself become lighter than I have ever been before; as though I can fly. Raising my arms as though I were a bird, I use another burst of speed to double the effect. If I am a hybrid, can I turn into a bat or a wolf like Dracula? Or is that all just movie nonsense? I suppose I will have to ask the queen before I kick her ass. Abruptly coming out of my thoughts at the unpleasant taste in my mouth, I take in my surroundings and feel the stifling aura of Sesshomaru far off in the distance. Apparently, he is a little butt hurt that I left like that. Oh well. He has been doing that shit to me for years; it's only fair I return the favor. Ha! Concentrating my aura, I send it out in a massive sweep of the area and am not at all surprised when I feel the powerful jyaki of Velenor right in the next clearing. Slowing down, I walk calmly toward him with an unreadable expression on my face. But I stop short of reaching him when I see the scowl on his face and feel the deadly pulse of his jyaki on my skin. Giving him a questioning look, I wait for him to say whatever is on his mind. I can feel that he is upset and I assume it is my fault for reasons I have yet to discover.

Fortunately I don't have to wait for long when he walks calmly to my position. He begins to lightly sniff the air and then circles me, as though he is the hunter and I am his next meal. Stopping right behind me, he puts his nose in my pulse point and breathes deeply. Shuddering at the intimate touch, I wait for him to finish his inspection before turning to face him. His low growl of disapproval has me looking at him strangely. Once again, I understand what he meant by that growl. Does that mean I have the ability to speak in Blood Demon tongue? And if so, how can I understand Sesshomaru? Slightly confused at all the new revelations I have discovered, I try asking Velenor. He should know right?

"Velenor, what is the matter? Why are you sniffing me and why did I understand what you just meant by that growl?" His smirk puts me on edge for a moment, although I don't know why and then his face clears of all emotion. How do demons do that? Is there a school somewhere that teaches that technique? My silent musings come to an end when he begins to speak.

"Kagome, I was sent by the queen to bring you back. She has announced her intentions of making you her heir and she would like to commence with the ceremony posthaste. But that is not the only reason why I met you out here." Growling low in his throat, I feel his jyaki spike again, this time more in agitation than anything else.

"I must confess I was jealous when I saw that dog demon leave with you in such a hurry once you left the cube. Tell me priestess, who is he to you?"

Taken aback at his words and his confession, I pause my initial comeback and take note of the stiff posture in his spine and the swirling evil intent in his aura. Well, well, well, it seems that my little blood demon is jealous. Ha! Who would have thought? So, perhaps the mating proposition that the queen informed me of was not all formality. But if that is the case, then the demon before me is truly attracted to me. Oh my Kami, why does this shit always happen to me? Another love triangle? Or lust triangle? Whatever! Can fate truly be this hateful? Was I an axe murderer in my past life and this is all just one big ass helping of retribution for my karma? Fuck!

Growling suddenly as my frustration continues to mount, my eyes go wide in surprise when Velenor disappears for a moment only to reappear behind me. His arms immediately encircle my waist and he pulls me back into his embrace. I stifle the shriek of indignation I feel forming when his nose finds my pulse and he inhales deeply of my scent, licking my skin so sensuously I feel a warmth build low in my belly. I suddenly hear a lusty moan in the clearing and am surprised to find that it was my husky voice that it sounded from. My body moves of its own accord and before I can stop myself, I bare my neck to his advances and he continues his sensual assault on my newly awakened senses. His growl of approval reaching my sensitive ears and I nearly swoon at the lust its conveying. My knees go weak and I feel light headed and then I remember where I am and who I am with.

The sensation is like a bucket of cold water to my lust filled hazy mind and I snap out of my stupor long enough to take a giant leap toward the other side of the clearing; his disappointed growl following close behind.

Turning to face him, I take a few deep breaths to stop my wanton panting for the demon before me and then I speak in even tones, desperate to get my point across before something like this happens again and I don't have the will to stop it. Hell, I am only a teenager with raging hormones after all. It's a damned miracle I lasted this long with my virginity intact!

"Velenor, I do not deny the fact that I am attracted to you, that much is obvious. But there is much at stake and I will need all my wits about me if I am going to defeat my enemies. Please, give me the time I need and when everything is over and the battle is won, I will give you my answer to your mating proposal. Just give me this, please."

I am disgusted with myself as I hear the shaking near desperate sound of my voice, but I can't change it now, so I wait with baited breath for his answer. His face is impassive, much like Sesshomaru's and that makes me want to pull my hair out and purify his ass, but before I can act on that particular impulse, he breaks out into a grin.

"Yes priestess, I can give you the time you require, but on one condition. You must keep your distance from the dog lord."

I immediately open my mouth to retort to his words when he holds up his hands in supplication. Taking a deep breath, I wait for whatever he thinks will stay my anger and am slightly disappointed when he has a good reason for what he said and he wasn't just being an arrogant self-centered jerk. Damn!

"I do not ask this out of jealousy, but out of respect for our mutual agreement. If you are to truly think upon my request, it is only right that you do not find yourself alone in his presence. That right is reserved for me as we begin the courting process. This will continue until you have either accepted my suit or denied it, but in any case, it is forbidden to be in the company of any males without my presence there to protect your honor."

My first response is rather lame, but at the moment I can think of nothing else. "When did I agree to court you Velenor?"

His lecherous grin is slightly amusing and also infuriatingly sexy as he replies with a devious light in his eyes. "When you bared your neck to me in submission and then agreed to think on the mating contract, you in essence agreed to court me until such a time as the decision has been made, on your part at least." He raises one eyebrow and quirks his lips in such a way as to make my heart thud painfully in my chest before he speaks again. "If I had any say in the matter, I would be claiming you right now." A suggestive wink is his way of ending the conversation and his face alights with human and smug satisfaction as I feel my face go up in flames.

"Very well, Velenor I will remember your words and take them into consideration the next time I meet with Sesshomaru, but know that I will not forsake him in his hour of need, nor will I be able to help meeting with him as often as necessary when I continue the quest for the jewel shards and the inevitable defeat of Naraku. I will not give up my quest for his destruction for anything, mating be damned!"

The fire and determination in my eyes stalls any retort he would have uttered and we come to a silent agreement of terms. A few moments pass and then I begin to walk away from the clearing, but his voice stops me short of my goal and I turn to look at him expectantly.

My eyes again go wide with shock when I find that he is a mere hairsbreadth away from me. Damn he's quick! And just like that, before my mind can tell my body to react to his invasion of my bubble, his lips descend on mine with such fire and passion that my knees buckle instantly. His strong arms encircle my waist and ensure I continue standing, but all thought ceases to exist as his insistent tongue probes my lips invitingly and I do not have the will to deny him. Desire builds within me and a terrible ache low in my belly informs me that it will take little prodding on his part to convince me to give him my revered innocence. My eyes widen in shock and my body stiffens suddenly and then he pulls away.

"Now that such business has been attended to , let us be off Princess." His wicked smirk and smug satisfaction are obvious as he pulls away from my flushed face and his eyes fall to my swollen lips.

"This is a good look for you, little one. I should do this more often out of pure curiosity of your reaction, of course."

I raise my glazed eyes to his arrogant smirk and laughing orbs and my mind clears suddenly. Growling a warning to him for his arrogance, his face bows for a moment in acquiescence or is it obeisance? My temper calms at his relent to my request and then I once again turn toward the edge of the clearing.

We travel toward the clan in a relatively calm silence. Though long silences are not usually my forte, this is comfortable and Velenor's presence beside me is hard to explain as anything other than stimulating. Great Kami! Is there an off switch for this somewhere? How can it be possible that he isn't even touching me, but I can almost feel the ghostly caress of his fingers in my hair, then my shoulder, lower still to my ass and finally, the inside of my thigh? I bite my lips so hard I draw blood in my effort to stifle the groan of frustration building within me and then discreetly flare my aura. To say that I am surprised by what I find would be foolish as I see with my enhanced aura that his is nearly non-existent, save for the few tendrils still trying to elicit a response from my body. I also notice that he is not just suppressing his aura, but his own reactions to mine. Now this could prove useful. A new fire lights within my eyes as I temp him to the brink of release in punishment. Two can play this game!

Concentrating for only a moment, tendrils of my aura begin to swirl around him in an exotic dance of seduction. As one, each seeks out a pleasure spot on the blood demon as retribution. A caress of his pointed ear, his lustful mouth, across his chest, a pinch to his ass and a slight brush of his groin has his eyes widening in shock at my boldness. His body stiffens for only a moment and then his tendrils begin to provoke my passion again, only this time much more brazen.

His ghostlike touches become firmer, almost as though he were caressing me himself. A brush of my lips, the flick of a nipple and a sensuous pressure on my core has me unable to hold back my moan of desire. The narrowing of my eyes and the light of challenge in his has me throwing caution to the wind, consequences be damned.

Tendrils of my aura encircle him completely, drowning him in my essence and making his breath hitch as he feels that this is no simple test of desire, but wills and I intend to win. The essence surrounding him takes my shape and latches onto him almost desperately. Straddling his hips and nibbling on his neck with teeth and lips in a frenzy of passion. She begins to rock against him in a passion crazed need for friction and to him; it may as well have been me, literally.

Then before I can build my defenses against him, his aura wraps around me as well; eyes widening in surprise, I feel his hands grope my ass before grinding himself into me desperately. I moan wantonly as I feel him slide down my body before stopping at my core. The heat radiating off me by this point makes the true Velenor standing a few feet from me groan in need as my arousal builds. After all, our auras feel like the real thing.

Suddenly all thought ceases as I feel a warmth caressing my heat. Oh Kami, it's his tongue! I moan loudly as I feel him nibble my clit and my knees buckle when two of his sinful fingers find my entrance and impale me, spiritually of course.

Before I can gather my wits about me long enough to catch myself before I hit the ground, his aura pulls back from me and the real Velenor is wrapped around me. His arms like a steel vice, I moan again at the initial contact and cannot bring myself to pull away when he continues where he left off, with his mouth licking and nibbling my neck and collarbone before venturing lower and nipping at my breasts teasingly. His hands lift my shirt and push aside my bra before my nipple is encased in such warmth, I must be on fire. Moaning loudly, knowing what I want and deeply desiring it, I don't stop him. His other hand slowly ventures further down my body as he caresses my hip before reaching his goal. His finger brushes against my core and I buck into his hand desperately, moaning so loud my ears ring.

Mewling softly and mumbling nonsense, he seems to understand my plight. His strokes of my core, center on my clit and he increases the pressure. Rocking my hips to the rhythm he sets, I can't help the noises of pleasure that escape me as my blood boils and the heat increases to dangerous levels. I toss my head back and forth in frustration and need and then turn my eyes to Velenor's.

Ruby red and glazed, they are absolutely beautiful, but suddenly, the red of his eyes begin to change to a deep amber that makes my heart thunder in my chest. The long luscious black locks change to a vivid silver and a bright crescent moon of iridescent blue becomes plain to see on the high forehead of none other than the Lord of the Western Lands. The sound of his moaning in pleasure nearly proves my undoing but when he throws his head back and howls his release, my name torn from his lips, the pressure building within me explodes! A massive tidal wave of pleasure, so great it nearly breaks my back with the force of it, crashes through me and I scream intelligibly to the heavens. The only problem is simply that in my mind I screamed Sesshomaru's name and not Velenor's. Guilt washes over me in waves so intense that Velenor looks at me worriedly. Holy shit! I came screaming Sesshomaru's name! Well, close enough anyway and I was with another man! Oh my Kami, I am such a slut!

Groaning out of misery instead of the pleasure of only moments before, I make quick work of rearranging my clothing and then hurriedly step back from Velenor.

His understanding eyes nearly break my heart and then his words make me feel even worse.

"Do not fret princess that is common practice among courting couples within the clan. As it stands, you are the most responsive and delicious mate I could have ever imagined and I look forward to our future couplings."

Well, I officially feel about as tall as a snail and just as disgusting. But, I can't help myself. If I had been battling Sesshomaru's aura with mine, would I have thought of Velenor at the last moment as well? Or is it simply that I always find my way back to Sesshomaru regardless of what I do? Can I never escape him?

This is just perfect. Perhaps I need to speak with another woman about this. Sango and I need to have a heart to heart as soon as I get back to the clan, speaking of which, this is a perfect distraction!

Clearing my throat even as my face practically bursts into flames with the devilish look he is giving me, I decide to get straight to the point and never look him in the face again, or simply pretend it never happened in the first place. Yep, denial baby, it isn't just a river in Egypt. It's actually quite nice, you should visit, I hear the weather there is absolutely perfect this time of year.

Alright everyone, that seems as good a time as any to take a break and start fresh for next time. If anyone has any questions or concerns about what happened or what is happening, please don't hesitate to ask me. Also, I would love to hear any suggestions or ideas for this story that anyone would like to offer up. If the idea has merit for what I want to happen in this story, I might just end up using it. If I do, I will make sure to try and contact the person who gave me the idea in the first place and try to work with them for the storyline. Thanks everyone and have a great holiday, Merry Christmas!!!


	9. Chapter 9

Hi everyone! Thank you all for joining me on this newest journey for Blood for Blood. A special thank you goes out to all the fans who continually inspire me to write even when there simply isn't enough time in the day. I love you guys! I don't know when I will be able to post again and I know it took longer than I promised to get this out, that is why this chapter is nearly three times the length of all the others. I hope you enjoy this newest edition and please review to let me know what you think. Last, but certainly not least, I do not own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries within. I would be filthy rich if I did and I am soo not. LOL. As always, a special thank you goes out to my cousin Diana for all her support through this interesting journey, Sada for her explicit permission to play with her yummy character Masao, and Wiccan for her fantabulous beta work. I love you my muses.

Blood for Blood

Chapter 9

Flashbacks, Old Friends and New Faces

My face begins to cool as my embarrassment of earlier fades. Velenor at least has the decency not to bring up what happened and for that I am extremely grateful. I don't honestly know what to do anymore. I need to speak to Sango privately and then I need to speak with the Queen. I can't really kick her ass if I am going to be her heir, but I can make sure her life is miserable as long as she stays within the clan.

If I actually think about it, it's been about two days since I left the clan. I wonder what Sango has been up to all this time. Maybe her and Masao, her feline friend have become close. Ooh, I hope so! What wonderful gossip to come home to! But first things first, I want a nice long bath before I do anything. The Queen will have to wait. Which reminds me, I really should ask her name. This Queen stuff is getting redundant.

Coming out of my thoughts when I hear a buzzing nearby, I turn my head slightly to the left and my eyes narrow in disgust as I see three Saimyoushou trying to hide from me behind some brush. Dammit! How long have they been following me without my notice? I have got to pay more attention to my surroundings, especially now that I have the ability to do far more than I ever have before.

Slowing my pace, I reach for an arrow and hope that these stupid bugs don't feel threatened before I am ready. Knocking my bow, I aim as though I am going to shoot something in the exact opposite position of these annoying bees. Then, concentrating on the sound they make, I adjust my bow accordingly. If I do this right, I can turn and shoot at them before they even know what I'm doing. Hopefully, I can get them all. Even if I do though, there's still a chance that one or more of them took off to inform Naraku of my whereabouts already. Kami this is frustrating!

Bracing myself for the possible confrontation with Naraku, because wherever his nasty demon wasps are, he isn't far behind, I turn. Releasing my arrow, the swish of it so loud I almost cringe from it, I watch in satisfaction as all save one are purified. Growling under my breath, I begin to knock another arrow and then a wave of demonic energy nearly makes me dizzy with the strength of it. I would know that energy anywhere!

Turning slowly away from the pesky distractions, I look into blood red orbs with no small amount of loathing and disgust. Feeling another powerful jyaki flare in the area, I glance quickly to see Velenor's angry face snarling loudly at the demon before me. So, he's caught on to what's happening, at least he isn't a total loss. Sighing audibly at the situations I always find myself in, I focus all my attention on Naraku and hope to all the Kami listening that I can purify his sadistic ass once and for all.

"What do you want Naraku?" Sneering audibly at his baboon clad visage, I nearly pass out from the smell of his miasma. It never bothered me near as much as now. Dear Kami, how did Inuyasha and Sesshomaru handle this shit?

"Kukukukukukuku, I found myself missing your pretty face, little miko, so when my spies finally found you after such a dry spell, I couldn't help dropping by to catch up."

Taking a step toward me, I see his left arm become one of his disgusting tentacles. Ew Gross! I can never get over how nasty those things are. Then suddenly the grin on his face turns sadistic and his arm lashes out in an obvious attempt to decapitate me. Lunging to the left as quickly as possible, I roll into my landing and then dodge again as another tentacle tries to impale me. Growling low in my throat, I hear a loud snarl I recognize coming from Velenor and I look to my right to see that he has a large tentacle impaling his left shoulder. He suddenly drops to his knees after a moment when Naraku begins to feed his miasma into the wound and I take my chance while he is distracted to hurt him enough so he makes his usual hasty retreat.

Gathering my reiki in a large ball of power, I hurl it at the biggest portion of his body and then roll immediately to my right. Gathering another ball of power, I again hurl it at the bastard, this time aiming for the slithering appendage sticking out of Velenor and don't have time to react as he sends one tentacle directly at me before disintegrating into a pile of ash. It catches me on my left side with such force that it sends me flying nearly ten feet, landing at the edge of the clearing. Wincing at the pain radiating through my body, I can't help the satisfaction that would be making me jump for joy because of all the damage I did to his puppet, if I wasn't in so much pain.

Gritting my teeth, I slowly make my way to Velenor. He is pale, sweating profusely and fading fast. Taking one look at the wound in his shoulder, I know without a shadow of a doubt, he will die within hours unless I can purify the poison in his system. Putting the pain I'm feeling in the back of my mind so I can concentrate, I pull more reiki from my soul and begin to feed it slowly into Velenor. If I'm not careful, I can purify him instead of the miasma. I feel the sweat begin to bead on my brow, but I pay it no mind as I sense the poison in his blood beginning to ebb. Feeling myself begin to weaken as both the blood loss and the use of my powers begins to take its' toll, I finish healing and then my vision begins to fade.

Snarling viciously at the blow to his ego, Naraku almost hurls Kanna's mirror across the room. To think that the priestess could have become so strong in such a short amount of time is preposterous. The power level she showed today is something only a handful of priests or priestesses could control.

Narrowing his eyes, he smirks wickedly at the incarnation before him. Glancing behind his position in the room, he sneers at Kagura lying prostrate on the floor before him in a puddle of her own blood.

"You know my dear Kagura, you could have easily spared yourself this pain and humiliation, but you continue to disobey me. The next time this happens, I will not be so lenient. Now, clean yourself up and get to work. My plans have just changed and you will help me to achieve my goals, or die."

A brief nod of the head is all the acknowledgement he receives from his weak incarnate, but it is sufficient.

He leaves the room in a flurry of silks and his dark chuckles echo down the hallway as his insidious mind continues to conjure sweet torture for Inuyasha and his band of misfits. The little miko on the top of his list bringing infinite enjoyment to his dark heart.

Slowly opening my eyes, I see that I'm in a large room, decorated mostly in black and blood red. The dark maroon curtains hang heavily against the wall and drape down to the floor in dark waves. The bed sheets are a blood red satin of some sort with black trim and the feel of it against my skin eases my mind a bit. I must be in the clan again. Taking a deep breath, I'm happy to note that my side is only slightly sore. A quick inspection tells me that I am fully healed, though there is a small pink line in my skin where I was hit. I wonder if it will scar or if I will heal the line as well?

Noticing I am wearing a long black silk-like nightgown that leaves little to the imagination makes my face go up in flames. Kami, who put me in this? Suddenly I hear a creaking to my left and I see that Velenor is coming through the door. Quickly covering my scantily clad figure with the sheet, I lower my eyes from his smirking face as I feel my own heat up yet again. Kami this is getting old!

Velenor clears his throat when he is close enough to sit on the end of the bed. I look up to him questioningly and he bows low to me. Taken aback at his sudden obeisance, I quickly grasp his good shoulder and push him up. Shaking my head slowly, I answer his questioning gaze.

"You don't need to bow to me, ever Velenor. I was just doing my job as a miko. I would have done the same for all my friends."

He leans forward suddenly and his lips brush mine so quickly that my breath hitches in my throat and my heart thuds painfully in my chest.

"Thank you for all you did for me little one. If it wasn't for you, I would be dead now and I would no longer have the opportunity to taste those luscious lips again."

Blushing slightly at the compliment, I nod my head slightly and then clear my throat to ask what has been bothering me since I woke up.

"How did we get here Velenor?"

"You healed the last of that vile poison in my blood and must have passed out. I do not know how long you were unconscious, but when I woke I found you lying over my chest. I checked you over for injuries and found the puncture in your side from one of those disgusting tentacles. It was angry and red, very swollen and you were panting for breath. I assumed that you were dying because of how that poison affected me, but as I watched, the wound began to heal itself. Your breathing slowed and the angry red became a healthy pink, until all that was left is the line of pink on your side. I do not know how you did it, but you truly are amazing priestess."

Again, blushing under his praise, I wait for him to answer the rest of my question.

"Once I saw that you would live, I carried you here to the clan, in hopes that some rest would heal you completely. It seems that my hopes were answered."

Nodding my head in understanding, I again look around the room and then return my gaze to him.

"Thank you for saving my life. That seems so inconsequential as though I should say more, but I can't think of anything else to say."

"Your thanks is enough, little one. Now, I am sorry to be so abrupt about this, but the Queen would like to have a word with you and I am afraid she wanted to speak to you as soon as you woke."

Grimacing in distaste at the demand for my presence, I roll my eyes and motion for Velenor to turn around so I can dress. He might be courting me, but that doesn't mean he gets a free show. Grabbing the kimono on the end of the bed, I put it on as quickly as I can since I have no experience with this obi nonsense and when I am finished, I tap Velenor on the shoulder to let him know I am decent.

His short nod of understanding is the only response I get from him before he turns toward the door. Apparently, the Queen is extremely impatient. Oh well, at least this will be one less thing on my to do list.

Following close behind him, I admire the décor of the surrounding hallways. Aside from the deep maroons and blood reds, the majority of the colors are either black or royal blue. Personally, not my first choice of colors, but then again, I have only been a hybrid for a couple months. Perhaps they will grow on me with time. Of course, if I am truly going to become the heir, then I could just redecorate. Ha ha! Perhaps pink? Giggling under my breath, I clear my throat and straighten my shoulders when I see the sharp un-approving look from Velenor.

What's got his panties in a bunch? Stifling the giggle I feel coming at my impetuous thoughts, I clear my throat again when we come to a large set of double doors. My thoughts have been distracting me enough that I noticed little on the way here. I really need to learn to pay attention! Nearly growling under my breath at my distraction, I focus on the task at hand and brace myself for whatever the Queen has in store for me.

Taking notice of the intricate designs on the door before they open, I see carved depictions of bats and wolves, among man-like creatures seen flying over large clouds with a crescent moon in the background.

Making a mental note of a few questions I would like answers to, I follow Velenor into the room and hold my head high. I am the Shikon Miko and I look down to no one. At least that is the image I need to portray. Inside it is a completely different matter.

Glancing around the lush room at the throw pillows and majestic silk throws, I notice that although the color scheme isn't my first choice, it really makes this chamber seem almost alive. There is a large futon in the corner covered in satin-like sheets and more pillows than anyone could ever need. The colors range from maroon to emerald, but the main color is black. Maybe that is just a side effect for being a blood demon?

In the opposite corner of the room sits a large throne. Bejeweled with rubies and emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, the extravagance of it is not lost on me. Sitting on the throne is the Queen. Her body is encased in expensive silks and dazzling jewels, her long flowing hair wrapping her in light waves of silk magnificence. Her fuchsia eyes are accentuated by the deep burgundy silks that flow about her and only intensify the radiance she exudes.

Nodding my head in acknowledgement, I wait for her to speak. Silently, I wonder where her King is and what she really called me here for.

"Welcome Priestess. It is good to see you well." Her smile is bright in approval of what I can only assume is my battle prowess from the cube, but I could be mistaken.

"Thank you your majesty. It is good to see you as well." I smile as politely as I can, still a little peeved at her earlier test in the fortress of doom, or so I dubbed it.

"I know that you are still upset that you were required to run the gauntlet at your first appearance here, but please know that it was a test of your strength and courage, to determine your worthiness as Queen. All blood demons in line for the throne are required to complete that test. Call it a ritual if you will."

I nod my head in understanding, but I am still unhappy about being forced to participate in something I never had any desire for to begin with.

She continues and my eyes widen in shock as I listen to her words.

"Because you passed the test, I promised to name you my heir and I do not go back on my word. Tonight we will hold a feast in your honor and in front of the entire procession I will name you Princess of the Blood Clan. Know this, the Queen leads all. The King is your partner in all things, but your will is law and the clan will stand behind you in everything you do. You have proved yourself the most worthy for the throne."

Disagreeing with her logic, I begin to protest.

"Are you sure that this is the best course of action for the clan? Surely there will be a revolt or something…after all I am not a full blood. I don't even know any of the laws by which you live or even how to lead your people."

She smiles encouragingly toward me before answering my questions.

"I will not lie to you Kagome. There will most likely be one or two angry demons that were next in line for the throne that will challenge you for the right to defeat you in battle and take your place. But I have little doubt that you could easily defeat them all."

Shaking my head in denial at the prospects of becoming a Queen, to a demon clan no less, I begin to pace as a thousand questions begin to circle my brain. There has to be another way. I do not want to lead a demon clan, regardless of our relation to each other, however unintentional.

Finding a loophole in her plans to make me Queen, I smile to myself and then nod my head. I will play her little game and then all I have to do is concede defeat and my title will be relinquished. That should be simple enough. Right?

"I have one question for you, majesty. What is your name?"

Her smile grows at my sincerity and she answers without hesitation.

"You may call me Allorial."

We speak for a few more minutes about the upcoming feast and especially about her suggestions for the possible battles for the crown and then she tells me to go and rest before tonight.

I begin to leave before I realize that Velenor has been silent the entire time. Turning toward him, I see that his eyes are once again heated and staring straight at me. Shivering at the promise in his eyes, I decide that all questions can be answered later and I should get as far away from him as I can.

Turning back to Allorial, I ask her whether they have access to hot water and if I am able to have a bath. She simply smiles at me and then snaps her fingers. A blood demoness appears within moments and is directed to take me to the royal baths. Asking Allorial if I may bring Sango along with me, she agrees with a smile and then returns to her throne.

Saying a quick goodbye and thank you to Allorial and Velenor, I leave the room, following the demoness in front of me down one of the many hallways I have yet to memorize.

After a minute or two, she stops in front of a door and proceeds to knock lightly. A few moments pass and Sango opens the door.

She practically squeals in delight upon seeing me and rushes to embrace me. I return the hug whole heartedly and then step back to take a good look at her. There is something different about her that I simply cannot put my finger on, but one trip to the royal baths will clear that right up.

"Sango, would you like to take a bath with me?"

Her smile is genuine and eager and she runs into her room to gather what she will need, muttering a quick sure, before she is walking beside me down another long corridor.

A few minutes pass and we arrive at the royal bath. It's enormous, large enough to fit Sesshomaru in his full demon glory with room to spare. There is a lavish waterfall off to one side with wildlife and flat rocks running the length of the Olympic sized bathing area and long vines wrapping around the waters' edge and climbing the walls. The effect is that of an oasis, the mist in the air making the atmosphere calming to the soul.

Sango and I both grin wickedly at the sight before quickly shedding our clothing and entering the pool. The water is clear and heavenly; aching muscles and tender skin being soothed by the warmth of it.

After a few minutes, I look to my long time sister and friend and again notice that special something about her. I still can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there just beneath the surface. Deciding to go in for the kill, I leisurely begin to wade closer to her in the large spring, until we are sitting side by side.

Giving her a devious grin when she looks at me strangely, I jump on my chance to catch her off guard.

"So, Sango my dear, what have you and Masao been up to while I've been gone these last few days?"

Her face immediately pales and then turns bright red. The sight is laughable and I can't help the giggle.

But I know that I've hit the nail on the head and I refuse to let her get off without pay dirt.

So, with a malicious look in my eyes, I smirk and say, "Spill it!"

She turns to me with a knowing smile and then says, "You first!"

Blushing at her words, but knowing that I won't get out of this before I tell her what she wants to know, I sigh audibly and then face the music.

"Apparently I am officially courting Velenor."

Her gasp of shock is something I expect, but the narrowing of her eyes is not.

"What's that look for Sango?"

She shakes her head for a moment and then says, "There's something that you aren't telling me. I've known you for too long not to know that you're holding something back."

Smirking at her intuitiveness, I nod my head and then immediately look around the room for intruders. Not seeing anyone, I sweep my aura within the vicinity and feel a demoness just outside the doors to this spring. Knowing that even the walls have ears, I decide not to take a chance and put up an impenetrable barrier. I don't want anything said getting back to Velenor until I'm ready for him to know.

Turning to Sango with a serious expression, I tell her all that has happened within the last few days, leaving nothing out.

Seeing the look on her face, I can tell that she is getting more and more shocked by the second, but I blurt everything out, not sure if I could say it again if I wanted to. When I'm finished, I wait for her to say something, anything.

I'm in desperate need of some heart to heart with my sister. She'll know what to do better than anyone and I trust her with my life.

Letting out a deep breath I didn't realize I've been holding, I wait with apprehension as she finishes sorting through the mass amount of information I just gave her.

Knowing that my barrier still stands and she can speak freely, Sango gets right to the point. That's one of the things I always loved about her. She doesn't mince words. There is no beating around the bush with her.

"So, from what you've told me, there is a distinct attraction between you and Velenor. He obviously cares for you and even went so far as to ask you to be his mate. But, in the throes of passion in Velenor's arms, you thought of Sesshomaru. Not only that, but you imagined you were in his arms and you mentally screamed his name."

I nod in confirmation at everything she just repeated and thankfully don't have to wait long for her to continue.

"I think its simple Kagome. While you are physically attracted to Velenor, even share a bond of sorts with him, your body and mind have both determined that Sesshomaru is a better match. Perhaps even your heart has made this choice and you are acting out these mental fantasies because of it. I think what you're having a hard time accepting is the guilt that you feel because of your unconscious choice."

Taking a deep breath, I nod my head and take a moment to really think about what it is she just told me. Looking deep into myself, I realize that a part of me made the choice to want Sesshomaru a long time ago. Perhaps it was when he looked at me across the battlefield for the first time, really looked at me, when I broke his armor with my arrow. Regardless, my choice was made a long time ago, whether I realized it or not.

Now, the only thing I can do is either try to make something come of my infatuation with the demon lord, or push aside those feelings for Velenor. I can't deny that I am highly attracted to him. But, it really doesn't matter how I feel about Sesshomaru does it? The problem is getting him to want me, not for a simple rut, but for eternity.

Sighing audibly as I really think about all the near impossible outcomes of my disastrous situation, I take ten deep breaths and try to tune out the massive headache I feel growing behind my eyes.

A flash of Sesshomaru in the hot spring with me, ruby lust filled eyes staring hungrily at me, another with his horse dick swaying in the breeze, still another when I was screaming his name…..there has to be something more than attraction on my end of it, there just has to be, right??

For all I know, he could be doing everything he can to fight his baser instincts to ravage me. After all, he did nearly attempt to on at least two occasions. Maybe this is fates' way of telling me that I am on the right path.

First things first though, I need to decide regardless. I might want Sesshomaru, but I also want Velenor. Kami, could my life be any more complicated?

Actually, now that I think about it, I could be way more messed up. Remembering the love triangle I just got out of only to step right into another one comes to mind. First Inuyasha and Kikyo and then Velenor and Sesshomaru.

Why me? It must be a cosmic joke at my expense.

But there is still so much I need to learn before I can make an educated decision about my situation, so I'll wait and see what happens. There's nothing I can do about my problem now either way, so I might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.

There are still a thousand things that take precedence over my personal life anyway. One of them accepting Queen Allorial's crown, another getting rid of Naraku.

Suddenly realizing that my thoughts have run away with me and we've been sitting in this bath for nearly an hour, I quickly take Sango's hand and pull her into the deep end of the water. Grabbing a piece of cloth and some nice smelling soaps, I lather the rag and then begin to scrub her back. At the same time, she begins to shampoo her hair.

Once I'm done with her back, I trade with her. She finishes soaping her body and I shampoo my hair. After I finish scrubbing my body down, I relax into the water and then turn on her again with a wicked grin.

"Spill it woman! I told you mine, now you have to tell me yours!"

Her sudden flush is all the evidence I need to know that whatever happened while I was gone, is something worth hearing.

Sango's P.O.V.

Three days earlier…..

Watching with frightened eyes, I see Kagome crawl out of the dungeon or whatever it's called, barely able to move. Her expression is that of exhaustion and her eyes tell me that she is near collapse. Fright stills my blood and causes my heart to pound in my chest. I haven't seen her look like this since her first encounter with Inuyasha and Kikyo, alone in the woods.

Desperate to reach her, I make a run for her once there's a clear path and suddenly, strong vice-like arms grip me by the shoulders and hoist me back against a rock hard chest. The breath in my lungs is expelled so quickly that I gasp to refill them before I can stop myself. Desperation fills me as I see Kagome suddenly picked up and carried away by a silver blur and I can do nothing but watch.

White hot blinding anger fills me as I realize that if it wasn't for the demon behind me, I could have made it to her in time. Turning in the steel-like arms so that I face the demon holding me, I gasp slightly as I see its Masao, the white tiger demon.

Knowing that its him instead of some random Blood demon, slightly cools my temper, but the hurt I feel continues to grow. How could he hold me back from trying to help my sister when he knows how much she means to me? The pain I'm feeling must show in my eyes because he immediately lets go of me.

Stumbling out of his embrace, I turn to the nearest hallway and move as quickly as I can to get away from him. Heaving sobs rack my body and my heart clenches painfully in my chest as I try desperately to get these emotions under control.

Kami what was I thinking? I was nearly falling for him! He was so sweet and protective and he wasn't a pervert!! There were so many things about him that drew me because he was so different from any other man that I have ever met. What is wrong with me?

Trying to get control of my emotions, I take a few deep breaths and go into the nearest door. It happens to be the bathing rooms. So be it. Maybe a good bath will help me to clear my head. Maybe then I can try to find out what happened to Kagome.

Stripping quickly, I enter the warm pool and immediately begin to relax. Opening a container of soothing bath salts and oils, I mix them into the water with me and then grab a silk cloth to rub them into my skin.

The water around me ripples slightly and tensing at the intrusion, I turn around, ready to strike. Coming face to face with the demon who has already caused me so much distress today, my body goes lax. It's almost as though I have no control over my body anymore.

Maybe I've gone into shock; at least I think that's what Kagome called it.

My eyes go wide as I take a good look at the white tiger demon before me. He truly is a magnificent specimen, perfect. Broad shoulders, muscles in all the right places, flawless abs, tight waist, firm thighs, yummy ass, hell even his toes look good. I looked right over his manly parts, I don't have the guts to stare at that, but Kami do I want to! Deciding to looks straight up instead, I notice that his white hair trails behind him in the water as he slowly wades in my direction. It gives a mysterious air to his already perfect persona. His magenta eyes are heated with what I can only assume is lust and the slight smirk on his face nearly proves my undoing.

If I wasn't so pissed off at him, I would probably do more than just look.

Oh Kami! Stop thinking bad thoughts Sango! Open your mouth and tell him to get the hell out of here!

"What are you doing here Masao?" Not what was supposed to come out, but it'll do….

"I came to check on your well being Slayer. You were distressed over the state of your friend before she was taken to safety by Lord Sesshomaru, so I came here to make sure you were alright."

Shock wouldn't even begin to describe what is coursing through my veins at the moment. Wait, did he say Sesshomaru? What the hell is he doing taking Kagome like that?

"How do you know this Masao?"

"Lord Sesshomaru has a very distinctive scent. It is unmistakable."

Blinking at his answer, I can't stop the giggle that escapes me. That was the last thing I would have thought he would say.

Getting control of myself, I realize once my stupor clears that I have been standing in a bathing pool with Masao for at least five minutes or so, completely naked!

EEPing loudly at the dawning horror and massive blush overtaking my body, I quickly submerge myself in the water and use the small silk cloth I was washing myself with to cover what little it can.

Getting my blush under control, I glare threateningly at Masao and then try to shoo him away. He doesn't seem to understand, so I take the cloth and throw it in his face, trying desperately to get him to look away just long enough so I can get out and cover myself with a towel.

He takes the cloth from his face and the expression he wears takes my breath away. His magenta eyes sparkle with amusement and practically smolder with heat as they sweep across my figure.

Blushing from head to toe again, I lower my eyes and let my bangs cover most of my face to hide it. A slayer I might be, but I am a woman first and there is a slow ache building low in my belly from the look on his face.

"Masao, it is inappropriate for you to be in here with me. As you can see, I am fine and now that your mission is complete, please see yourself out."

I feel the water ripple again and look up, hoping that he has heeded my words and left the bath. Unfortunately, I see that he is so close to me I can feel his breath ghosting over my face. Gasping at his close proximity, I try to move backward only to hit the wall. Demons be damned!

"You seem slightly off center today Slayer. What troubles you?"

"What the hell do you think? Your standing less than an inch away from me, NAKED! Did you think I would be comfortable with that?" He backs up immediately and I notice that he has a hurt expression on his face.

"I'm sorry Slayer, I was under the impression that you felt the same attraction to me that I feel toward you." He turns his face away, but not before I see the hurt on his face again.

My eyes once again go wide as I comprehend his words. Wait, he likes me?

Looking up as the ripples get my attention again, I see that he's making his way to the edge of the pool. He's going to leave! No!

Deciding for once in my life to be bold, consequences be damned, I race after him. I have wanted this demon since the first time I saw him. Why not take a chance? Besides, Kagome would be happy for me and it's about time I was happy myself. This could be my only chance. I won't risk letting it slip away.

Stopping just behind him, I bite my lip in indecision and then wrap my arms around him from behind. He stiffens immediately, but doesn't pull away.

"I feel the same way Masao. I just didn't know how to tell you. Besides, I had no way of knowing how you felt and I didn't want to embarrass myself."

Turning in my embrace, he looks deeply into my eyes; I could drown in those delicious depths. Smiling shyly at my would-be lover, I shiver despite myself.

He lifts a brow at my antics and smirks devilishly. "If you react so strongly to a simple touch, I cannot wait to see how you react to my tongue."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, all the blood leaves my face and my knees buckle. I might want him badly, but I am still a virgin for Kami sakes! But apparently talking dirty has a delicious affect on me and he knows it now. I'm sure his nose has told him everything he needs to know.

Grinning wickedly, I say "well then, why don't we find out?"

The surprise on his face and especially his eyes is something I will treasure always. He's had me on edge for too long now; it was time for some payback.

The shock he displays quickly fades into the smoldering look he had me quivering at only a few minutes ago.

Grabbing the back of my head, he tilts my neck and takes a deep breath of my scent. Groaning lightly, he takes his tongue and follows the path he just made.

Groaning again, he whispers huskily in my ear. "Be sure Slayer, I do not take mating lightly. If I do mate with you, it will be forever and before we are done, you will be pupped."

Taking a step back and looking into his face, I see the sincerity in his eyes. Oh Kami, he wants to make me his mate. Wow!

Taking a deep breath, I think about how I feel and everything I have been feeling for the last few days. I just left my first love, even though he was a pervert, I did love him. Could this be too soon? Will I be making a mistake? I want to say no, but I don't know.

Looking past my doubts though, I realize that above anything else, this feels right. Being with Masao, in his arms, makes me feel safe. Safer than I have ever felt before, even with Miroku.

Regardless of everything else, I want to be with him, forever.

"I want to be with you Masao. If you'll have me, I accept."

He sweeps me into his arms and chuckles so delightfully that it causes shivers to run down my spine. I wonder if I will always have this kind of reaction to him.

"You slayer, will be mine. You have been on my mind since I first laid eyes on you and I intend to make it known that none save I will ever have the pleasure of touching your flesh."

Blushing lightly at his words, I nod my head and then my thoughts cloud over as his lips touch mine.

Moaning into his kiss, I fist my hands into his hair and pull him closer. In turn, he wraps his arms around my waist and one of his hands wanders down my hips to firmly gasp my ass. Groaning into his mouth at the sensual feel of his hands on my body, I grind myself into him, needing more contact.

Breaking away from his lips for some much needed oxygen, I watch mesmerized as he begins to trail down my throat to nip and suck at my pulse, before moving down past my collarbone, ending at my breast. Using his dexterous tongue, I watch fascinated as he flicks it sensuously around my nipple, then looks right into my eyes. I can't begin to describe how erotic it is, watching him play my body like an instrument as he watches my reaction to him.

Moaning helplessly as he continues to nip and suck my nipple until its pebble hard, I buck against him shamelessly as I feel one of his hands trail slowly down my body until it's brushing against my curls.

Not willing to let him have his way with me without giving something back, I move my hands from his hair and begin to sensuously drag them over his skin. Flicking his ears lightly, teasingly, his groan of pleasure spurs me on. Moving down his neck and shoulders, I begin my own teasing display. Using my tongue, I lick from his neck to his collarbone and back, before slowly dragging it down to one of his nipples. Using my teeth, I bite him forcefully enough that he bucks into me with the strength of his need.

Moaning at the feel of his hard body against mine, I move down further still. Licking the skin near his belly button, I lightly blow on his silvery down. Breathing heavily on his cock, I get the sudden urge to taste him; long and hard, but soft as velvet. But when I realize there is no way he can fit inside me, my eyes widen in shock.

His soft chuckle rouses me from my morbid thoughts and instead of letting him hoist me back up to his dangerous mouth, I continue on my quest to taste the velvety steel buffet in front of me. My first tentative lick to the tip is more out of curiosity than anything else, but once I have my first taste, I can't seem to get enough.

I watch fascinated as his eyes roll in the back of his head with the first flick of my tongue. Getting such a response as this, I can't help the satisfaction that blossoms within me. To think a mere mortal woman such as myself can make him feel such things creates an extremely powerful feeling within me. I can't really explain it.

Getting back to more enjoyable things, I take the tip of his shaft in my mouth and using my teeth, suck and nip for all I'm worth and am satisfied when he bucks into my mouth and groans heatedly. Going further still, I use my tongue to lick my way down his cock until the silvery down covering his balls brushes lightly against my cheek. Thank Kami that Kagome told me about all this stuff during our many baths together. The future must be a wondrous place indeed. Continuing with my taste test, I take one into my mouth, experimenting. Rolling it around my tongue, Masao bucks into me again, this time mumbling something about a magical tongue.

Chuckling lightly at his words, I lather his cock all the way back to the tip before plunging down on his shaft with as much pressure as I can apply. I can't take him all because he is too large, but I compensate with my hands. With every thrust of my mouth on his quivering staff, I time another perfectly with my hands. Gathering speed and courage when he continues to moan and groan at the feel of my warmth surrounding him, I am taken off guard when one of his hands goes straight for my heat.

Jumping on contact, I moan excitedly when he finds my jewel and attacks it with vigor. Nearly swooning from the delicious feel of him, his own groan of need joins the chorus of my own. Realizing that my moaning must be causing him even more pleasure, I up the tempo and practically purr around him.

Apparently, that was all he could take because he grabs my head and pulls me up to sit on the edge of the pool. Spreading my legs before I can even blink, his tongue touches me in the most intimate kiss of my life and I moan desperately for more. Leaning back on my arms so that I can watch him pleasuring me as I know how erotic it can be now, I moan loudly when he tilts his head and looks right at me at the same time as he takes my clit into his mouth and suckles it like a newborn babe.

Bucking shamelessly into his face, I turn my head from side to side, desperate for more and wanting the ache in my belly to subside all at the same time. Watching him bring two fingers to my heat and then impale them is almost more than I can bare. Not caring how wanton I am being by grinding myself on his hand and moaning louder than ever, I feel the coil within my belly slowly begin to tighten. The ache is unbearable and the feel of his fingers inside me is wonderful, but it's just not enough.

Grabbing one of his silver-white locks, I tug hard to get his attention and grin with pride as his eyes turn to mine and I see the ruby tint to them. He's losing control of his beast.

Pulling on his hair again, I frown when he doesn't budge and then buck hard against his face. That get's his attention. Growling at me for my disruption, I look him straight in the eyes and tell him exactly what I want him to do. I will not be denied!

"Damnit Masao, fuck me! I need you so bad, please!"

Apparently with an invitation like that, he no longer wants to deny me. In less time than it takes to blink, he is standing above me on the edge of the pool, between my legs. Before giving me what I want though, he makes an erotic show of licking my juices from his fingers, one by one.

Kami, he's hot!

Whining in the back of my throat at continually being teased, he grins maliciously at me before using his fingers once again. Checking if I am ready for him, I assume because as soon as he moves them, he looks me deep in the eyes.

"So wet for me koi. Are you ready for this Masao to fill you?"

Groaning at his naughty words, I can only nod at his question, my voice failing me.

With another wicked grin, he takes his cock into his hand and begins to rub teasingly at my entrance. Moaning at the feel of him, I practically scream in frustration when he doesn't go any further.

Taking matters into my own hands, I grab the edge of the pool and pull down as hard as I can right at the perfect time, impaling myself on his cock. Masao growls loudly at the sudden scorching warmth surrounding him, eyes now completely blood red.

Groaning at the feel of him inside me, I shift my hips a few times to adjust to his girth; the feel of his claws running up and down my body only heightening the pleasure.

Masao P.O.V.

Kami, she is wonderful. To think a virgin would impale herself, it is nearly unthinkable. What a find, a treasure only I can possess.

The feel of her surrounding me is enough to make me explode, but I hold back, so dangerously close to the edge, I gasp at the sensations she provokes.

Kami, she is so tight!

I have never felt this way before. This mortal girl has enslaved me, made me helpless to resist her. I don't understand how, but the first moment I saw her, I knew she would be mine. Yes, mine….

Thrusting slowly, her moan of need is the only thing I need to hear, before quickening my pace. Pulling nearly all the way out, I thrust forcefully deep into her clenching heat, groaning at the pleasure only she can induce.

"Faster!"

Grabbing her legs, I put them over my shoulders and quicken my pace, thrusting even deeper into her willing body. Her breasts bounce delightfully with every thrust and I feel myself getting even harder at the sight.

"Harder, please!'

Her moans of delight are music to my ears and I thrust even harder in response. Her moans only increase in volume, so I use my demonic speed to go as fast as her human body can take and feel the first stirring of my release.

Groaning as she tilts her hips up enough to deepen my penetration, she begins to spasm around me. Her screams of release, stir my own as she yells my name.

"Masao!!!"

Growling fiercely at the feel of her tight clenching sheath, I throw my head back and howl my conquest to the night, then mark her as my mate forever, sinking my fangs at the juncture between her neck and shoulder.

Her groans of protest last for only a moment, and then I remove my fangs and lick the wounds, pulling her head up to my chest as I slice the skin just above my heart so she may drink as well.

Tentatively at first, then with more force than I would have given her credit for, she drinks my blood as though she is dying of thirst. Licking the wound as the blood flow slows, she pouts when the wound heals completely.

Grinning wickedly at my new mate, I watch in satisfaction as she throws her head back and spasms around my flaccid length again. Groaning at the feel of her, I feel myself harden in response and look at her face to find her eyes once again glowing with lust.

Thrusting into her warmth once again, I groan at the sensation. She is wonderful in so many ways. This passion I feel, will it always be like this??

Thrusting deeply again and again, I flip her over mid thrust and am satisfied when she stays flat on her belly. She is the perfect mate.

Wrapping her legs around my waist to deepen the penetration, she moans wantonly and tilts her hips. Suddenly her moans get even louder than before and I realize I'm hitting her special spot. Memorizing the tilt and position, I plan on hitting that every time we mate, to further pleasure her of course.

Groaning when I feel her pushing back against me, I again feel the stirrings of my release and quicken my pace, determined to hear her scream my name before we're done.

A few deep thrusts later, she throws her head back and screams my name, her clenching heat pushing me over the edge.

"Sango!"

Drained of nearly all my energy, I slowly pull out of my little vixen and her groan of protest makes me chuckle.

Lying beside her, I pull her in my arms and stroke her back lovingly. She is so beautiful, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect mate.

She turns in my arms and wraps her own around my middle, burying her face in my chest and sighing contentedly. Smiling down at my little mate, I vow to protect her with my life forever because I know without a shadow of a doubt that my life would not be worth living without her.

After lying there for a few minutes, I notice that she has fallen into a deep sleep, so gathering her in my arms, I wrap a silk robe around her body and then carry her down the hall as quickly as possible. Entering my rooms, I pull back the silk coverlet and lay her upon the burgundy sheets.

I didn't think it was possible, but she looks even lovelier surrounded by the finest silks and beautiful colors than she did in the throes of passion. Perhaps it's because they do wonders for her complexion, accenting every dip and curve of her perfect body.

Whatever it is, she is the most beautiful creature in the world and she is mine.

Joining her in the silk bedding, I gather her in my arms and cover us. Listening to her deep sigh of contentment when she burrows even further into my warmth, I feel my heart flutter.

The things she does to me and she doesn't even know it.

The sound of her light breathing and her steady heartbeat lull me to sleep and for the first time in at least two centuries, I sleep deeply.

"Inuyasha, will you slow down please?"

Grumbling under his breath, the hanyou slows his pace, but only just a little.

Rolling his eyes, Miroku shakes his head and jogs to catch up to the moody half- demon.

"I know you are still upset that the girls just up and left us, but however loathe I am to admit it, they had a point. They were right; we did take advantage of them. We didn't appreciate what they brought to our group and because of that, we lost them."

Holding up his hands in a placating gesture, Miroku looks pointedly at Inuyasha, willing him to see the truth.

"Feh."

Shaking his head once again, Miroku just sighs deeply. There is no making him understand.

Continuing on the path they are headed, Inuyasha stops abruptly, with his nose in the air.

"What is it Inuyasha? Naraku? A demon?"

Growling under his breath, a clear indication he wants Miroku to shut up so he can concentrate, silences anything else the monk wants to say.

Looking to his left and right, Miroku stays on his guard, until he sees the tell tale soul gatherers belonging to Kikyo.

Rolling his eyes again in a rather undignified manner, Miroku turns to Inuyasha abruptly.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? I was ready for anything, even Naraku if I needed to be and you didn't tell me it was Kikyo coming? What the hell Inuyasha?"

Growling audibly, Inuyasha turns to the monk in question.

"For your information monk, I didn't know it was Kikyo until she hit the tree line either. There is something off about her scent; I can't put my finger on it."

Realizing that Inuyasha wouldn't lie about something like this, Miroku turn to the undead priestess headed their way and concentrates on her aura. Eyes widening in shock, he sees the subtle difference to her aura.

Growing wary of this priestess suddenly, Miroku readies his Kazaana and Inuyasha unsheathes his Tetseiga.

She stops roughly three feet away and looks to Inuyasha pointedly.

"Is this the greeting I should become accustomed to Inuyasha?"

Dropping his sword as though he'd been burned, Inuyasha reaches his hand out to touch her, as though he fears she is some twisted delusion.

Smiling a small smile in recognition of his need to make sure she isn't a dream, Kikyo to reaches her hand out to lightly brush the tips of his fingers.

Miroku looks at the scene in front of him in slight apprehension. Not knowing whether to be wary still of the woman in front of him or to trust Inuyasha as this morbid scene unfolds, he continues to stare, ready to release his kazaana at any moment.

"Kikyo, I've missed you so. What' changed since the last time we met? You haven't let me touch you like that since, well….."

He looks down in shame as he once again remembers that he wasn't able to save her from Naraku.

Seeing this, Kikyo approaches him and before she can change her mind, embraces her long lost love in a comforting gesture.

Inuyasha's eyes go wide and before she can escape his grasp, he wraps his arms tightly around her in return.

"Oh Kikyo, I've missed you so much. Please don't leave me again."

The sound of his voice, so broken and alone, calls to her as never before. Wrapping her arms around him as tightly as possible, she says two words in an emotion filled voice.

"Never again."

His heart beats painfully in his chest at her words and tears spring to his eyes. Deep soul shaking sobs rack his body as the significance of her words hit home.

"I love you so much. Please stay with me forever. I'll protect you I swear."

She pulls out of his embrace to gaze lovingly into his eyes, their amber depths so full of emotion it takes her breath away.

"Kagome was right. I should have listened to her sooner."

Shock at her words shows clearly on his face and she answers his unasked question.

"She told me during her training that she hadn't loved you for a long time and that your love for me never wavered for a second. I didn't believe her at the time, I was still so bitter over everything that happened to both of us. But pushing aside the remaining doubt and bitterness I felt, I realized that she was right. She helped me to see clearly without bitterness clouding my vision by giving me a large part of her compassion in the soul she shared with me when I was dying in that pool after my encounter with Naraku. If it wasn't for her, I don't know if I ever would have forgiven you for the part you played in my death, or if I ever would have forgiven myself."

"I'm so sorry I couldn't save you back then Kikyo, please forgive me."

"I already have, my love, I already have."

Another round of sobs follow her words and they stand there together, arms wrapped around each other, holding their long lost love tightly as though any second they will disappear and it would all have been a dream.

"Travel with us, my love. Help me find the jewel shards and when this is all over, I will wish you back to life and then if you'll have me, I will make you my mate and we will be together forever."

Her shocked gasp has Inuyasha pulling away from her to see her face. Worry lacing his features that he had said too much and now she would leave him again clear in his expression.

Seeing this, Kikyo does the only thing she knows will assure him that she was merely surprised, not rejecting him. Pulling his face down to her level, she brushes her lips softly with his own.

Not remembering until this moment how good it felt to kiss him, she moans helplessly as he returns her tentative kiss with one of his own. Lacing his fingers in her hair, he tilts her head back and deepens the kiss, sweeping his tongue across her bottom lip, begging for entrance.

Eyes closing in pleasure, she opens her mouth and when his tongue touches hers, she fists her hands in his lush silver locks and moans again, the feel of him far too long in coming.

A throat clearing off to their immediate left clears the fog in their brains and they both reluctantly break apart, blushes staining their cheeks.

Miroku had seen quite enough. It is one thing to know what they do in private, but to blatantly display their affection for each other in front of him is simply too much. After all, there is only so much a sexually frustrated monk can take before he snaps.

Looking at both of their blushing countenances, he rolls his eyes and then says in his most monk-like pious voice, "I will be continuing into the woods where we were headed. In about an hour, I will stop to make camp and it is there where I will wait for you. Please, take your time, just do it somewhere I don't have watch."

Inuyasha and Kikyo both blush brightly at his words and then watch as he does as he said he would, head held high the entire way.

Watching him go, Inuyasha feels a pang of guilt for doing this to him, but as soon as Kikyo walks into his vision again, all thoughts of the monk flee his mind in the blink of an eye.

Shyly grabbing her hand, he leads her to a secluded spot in the woods near a hot spring, silently thanking Kagome for everything she did to help him and Kikyo be reunited.

The thick foliage starts to wane and spread the closer they come to the clearing he knows is just up ahead. A spring breeze blows lightly through the air and the trees sway slightly in response. The effect is magical, as birds begin to sing in the background and they come around the bend.

A large hot spring sits before them, surrounded by lush greenery which gives the affect of a lagoon. The greenery has beautiful blossoms growing sporadically within it and the steam from the warm water gives the atmosphere a romantic feel.

A sigh of contentment from Kikyo is all the satisfaction he needs as he looks to her face and sees a shy smile gracing her features.

Walking toward the spring without trying to seem overly excited to finally be able to hold his first love in his arms, Inuyasha stops a foot away. Turning toward his love, he shyly asks her what has been on his mind since she first walked through the trees.

"What took you so long to come to me if you believed what Kagome told you?"

"I told you Inu, I didn't believe her at first. What finally made her words ring true though was what she said on the last day we trained together."

His eager face made her giggle slightly, but she refused to keep anything from him again. If they were to be together, there would be no secrets this time. Their love would be true and their trust in each other would be unwavering.

"After we finished training, I congratulated her on the completion of her studies. I was actually quite impressed with what she already knew and even more impressed with how fast she learned. We began to walk back to camp to gather her things so she could return to your group and as usual we began to lightly chat between us. One of the things she said really stuck out in my mind. She told me that when I use my reiki, I no longer smell like grave soil and bones and that when my power spikes, my aura is that of a powerful priestess, no longer the aura of a golem."

Inuyasha looks as though he is about to protest, but she silences him with a finger to his lips.

"Please don't, love. I know these things to be true, but when she told me that, it was her way of saying that I am just like her, the only differences between us being age. She and I are the same person, in essence, therefore it is only logical that we should have the same scent and aura. It was her way of telling me that we will be again. Almost like she was telling me that she would wish me alive when she had the chance."

Looking to Inuyasha for confirmation of her thoughts, she smiles brightly when she sees the dawning comprehension on his face.

"That's exactly what she was telling you. Wow! Do you know what this means? She gave you her word, without saying it exactly probably in case there were prying eyes or ears around, that she would wish you back to life. She's told me on more than one occasion that it was tragic how your life ended so abruptly without being able to do anything you truly wanted to do as a woman, not being bound by the title of Shikon Miko."

Kikyo's smiling face stops him in his rant, making him realize he was talking an awful lot about Kagome. Maybe she was getting upset? Oh no!

"Please don't think there was ever anything other than friendship between us, my love. I do love her, but as a sister, nothing more. You were always the one for me….. "

Kikyo stops him mid sentence with a finger to his lips again. "Sshhh….I know…"

Her eyes glaze over with passion and lust a moment later when he sucks her finger into his mouth and swirls his tongue around it.

Stepping closer to the hanyou, she licks her lips suggestively and fists her other hand in his hair, a moan leaving her lips as he bites her stolen appendage.

"Mmnmnnn….Inu…"

Growling low in his throat approvingly as she moans his name and presses closer to his body, he lets her finger go only to capture her mouth in a heated kiss instead. Tongues battling for dominance, he groans loudly when she grinds her hips into him, needing more contact.

Taking the hint, he starts to unwrap his gift, first unraveling her haori, then her hakama, leaving her in only her breast binding and scrap of cloth covering her heat.

Groaning in want as the smell of her arousal comes to him on the breeze, he drops to his knees in front of her and using his claws, rips the scrap covering her and buries his head in her dripping heat. Groaning again at the taste of his soon to be mate, he noses her curls before using his tongue to lap her dripping essence.

Her moan of need spurs him on and using one hand, he spreads her dripping flower, takes her clit into his mouth and suckles it, while using his other hand to rub and tease her entrance. Using one finger, he enters her heat and moans at the feel of her clenching core. She spreads her legs at the intrusion, silently begging for more as her moans grow in intensity.

Shouldering her legs further apart, he releases her nub only to tease it mercilessly with his tongue. Trailing heated nips from her pearl to her entrance, he again laps at her sweet essence, not able to get enough. She grinds her heat against his teasing tongue and fingers and groans loudly when he slices through her hymen with a single claw.

The pain and the pleasure mixed nearly prove her undoing as the coil in her belly tightens to painful levels. Her knees buckle at the overload of sensation and she drops to them beside her soon to be mate. Her eyes at half-mast glazed with passion, make Inuyasha groan with want, but before he can continue enjoying his feast, she attacks his fire-rat haori with a vengeance.

She needed to feel him, taste him, and touch him. Give him the same pleasure he gave her.

Throwing it slowly over his shoulder, she then attacks the ties of his hakama, determined to feel his skin beneath her fingers. Pushing him to his feet as the ties come undone, she pulls them down to his ankles and before he can kick them off, she has his fondoshi completely discarded.

His gasp of surprise quickly turns into a groan of pleasure as her hands wrap themselves around the shaft of his cock and her mouth surrounds the tip. He bucks into her mouth as she continues her teasing quest. Long strokes of her tongue on his cock and teasingly sucking his balls with such force that he howls at the feel of her, nearly prove his undoing.

Fisting his hands in her hair, he holds her to him, afraid he will wake up to find this all a wonderful dream. But, her mouth moves back to his shaft and before he can stop her, she practically swallows his cock. Groaning loudly at the feel of her, he watches in fascination as his shaft, nearly up to his balls disappears into the velvet heat of her mouth again and again.

Feeling his release coming, he pulls her up to stand beside him and then moves swiftly to the hot spring. Wading into the water, he brings her to the edge and hoists her onto the flat rock slightly protruding from the edge, bringing her beautiful breasts to eye level.

"Beautiful, so beautiful."

She blushes at his statement, then moans her pleasure when he takes a pert nipple into his mouth. Flicking his tongue across the tip makes her moan even louder than before, so using his teeth, he grazes his fangs across the pebble hard peaks, pleased when she bucks her hips in response.

"Please Inu…..no more teasing……..please…"

Her begging plea, music to his ears, is all he needs to hear before he pushes his body in between her legs and takes his cock into his hand. Rubbing in across her dripping heat, they moan together at the feel of it. Wet with her fluids, he looks deep into her lust filled eyes and asks one final question before they begin.

"Are you sure about this my love? Inuyoukai mate for life. There will never be another."

Her smile and nod to his question is all he needs to see before he grabs her hips for leverage and thrusts to the hilt inside her scorching heat. Groaning at the feel of her, he stills to wait for her to adjust to him.

Moaning at the feel of him inside her, she wiggles her hips, desperate for the ache in her belly to stop. Moaning loudly when her movement brings him deeper into her core, she bucks against him, a sure sign she is ready for more.

Pulling out as far as he is willing to go, he thrusts back in, groaning at the feel of her clenching heat. She moves her hips, tilting them in such a way as to bring him deeper into her willing body and then thrashes her head from side to side when he hits a spot inside her that makes stars burst behind her eyes.

Moaning loudly, she screams, "Faster!"

Groaning at the feel of her clenching sheath, knowing she is close to the edge, he does as she asks. Picking up the pace, he lifts her legs and brings her knees to his elbows as he leans forward. Spreading her further, he goes so deep he fears he will never escape, before the shuddering of her core brings his thoughts to a grinding halt.

Her whole body begins to shudder around him and he holds on, hoping to survive the assault so he can continue this pleasurable task.

This new position has him hitting that spot over and over again and before she knows what's happening, the coil in her belly snaps so hard she thinks her back will break as it arches off the edge of the pool. Her vision goes white as her core pulses so hard she screams in ecstasy.

"Inuyasha, please!"

Thrusting deeply into her clenching heat, he repeatedly hits that special spot within her making her nearly scream in want with every thrust.

"Harder, Kami!"

Groaning at her words, he pulls all the way out and thrusts back in so hard, he fears he might have hurt her, but the loud moans of approval tell him she likes it rough.

Groaning at the realization, he begins pounding into her with wild abandon.

"Oh, Inu….please!"

Panting hard, his balls tightening in readiness for his release, he looks down upon his beautiful mate, her breasts bouncing in time to every thrust and her head thrown back in ecstasy and he can't hold back any longer.

"Oh Kami, Kikyo!" Howling his conquest to the night and anyone near, he thrusts continually, her own scream of satisfaction following close behind as her back arches into him and she spasms around his shaft, milking him of his seed.

Leaning down, while she is still in the throes of passion, he thrusts his fangs into the junction of her neck and shoulder, taking in her powerful blood. Removing them quickly, he licks the wound and then lifts her mouth to his chest, just above his heart. Slashing himself, he watches in wonder as she licks and sucks the wound there as though she were a starving pup.

Groaning at the feel of her tongue on his skin, he growls loudly when he feels her clenching around his cock again, her orgasm so powerful, he is rock hard when she calms enough to take a steady breath.

Growling playfully when she gives him a look that says she is ready for round two, he flips her over and impales her from behind, her loud moan of approval music to his ears.

Thrusting deeply into her heat over and over again, he takes one hand and grasps a breast, pinching the nipple until its rock hard, while the other hand busies itself with her clit.

She bucks wildly against him, her head thrashing about in pleasure and she pushes against him with every thrust, determined to feel him as deeply as possible.

Leaving her breasts to bounce heavily against the pool edge, he fists his hand in her hair and pulls tightly, so she is looking right at him, her lust filled hazel orbs staring deeply into his own ruby depths.

Her loud moan of want is a clear indication that she likes to be punished. With that in mind, he lets go of her hair and her low whimper of loss turns into a loud groan of need when he smacks her ass so hard he leaves a red welt.

Thrusting harder and harder into her dripping heat, she begins to clench around him painfully with every smack. Growling fiercely at the feel of her on his cock, he howls his conquest to the moon as she once again screams his name, her head thrown back in pleasure.

"Inuyasha!"

Laying her gently on the side of the pool, he gathers her in his arms and submerges them in the warm water. Rubbing her down with water cupped in his palm, he rinses her of the evidence of their lovemaking.

Completely spent, he carries her out of the water after she rinses him as well. They dress quickly and then hand in hand, make their way toward the camp Miroku made, about a mile away from their current position.

Realizing that she is probably exhausted, he offers her his back and smiles shyly when her entire face lights up in gratitude.

Miroku walks quickly away from the couple that apparently can't keep their hands off each other for even a minute. Grumbling under his breath about horny demons and undead women, he admits silently to himself that he is happy for the half-demon. He deserves some happiness in his life.

Speaking of happiness, he frowns to himself when he realizes that there will probably be none left over for him. The Kazaana continues to grow every day and that makes every day one step closer to his death. He silently prays for a miracle so that he can rid himself of this curse and then find someone to call his own.

At this stage in the game though, he's pretty content with finding someone to fuck senseless. A monk he may be, but a man he is first and he could really use some good loving, he silently admits again.

Some bushes to his left catch his immediate attention and before he can ready his staff or his Kazaana, something jumps out and attacks him. Rolling down a slight incline, they land in a heap, Miroku being straddled by whatever it is that attacked.

Gradually getting his bearings, he looks up to discover the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes he has ever seen in his twenty-two years of life. His eyes widen in shock as he takes in the face of the creature above him; long fiery red hair tumbling down her shoulders to the middle of her back in waves of curls, bright beautiful eyes, luscious lips, high cheekbones, elfin ears. Eyes continuing their downward journey, he sees toned arms, bountiful breasts, a tiny waist, wide hips, endless legs and dainty feet.

By all the grace of Buddha, this creature was a gift to all humanity!

Remembering that this gorgeous creature above him is still straddling his hips, he grins wickedly at her and her own grin of playful flirtatiousness surprises him.

"What is your name so that I may praise Buddha for your creation?"

Her bright smile at his compliment takes his breath away. She is even more beautiful when she smiles.

"My name is Thirinia, priest and you look good enough to eat."

Grinning at her words, he decides to go with what comes naturally to him. "Will you bear my children?"

"Why, priest, I thought you would never ask. Would you like to start now?"

His eyes go as wide as saucers at her words. Did he just hear her right? It wasn't possible right?

"Um, I think I might have just been hallucinating. Could you repeat that precious?"

Her giggle is even beautiful. It should be a crime to be that perfect.

Getting up, he helps her to her feet and then smiles at the picture she makes. She truly is a goddess cursed to walk the earth. Looking behind her, he notices her bushy tail and thinking for a moment turns to her.

"You are a kitsune demoness right?"

"The answer to both your questions is yes. I am a kitsune and I will bear your children."

Her bright smile of happiness nearly proves his undoing. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. There is NO way that she would bear his children with just a question. He must be dreaming! But, if this is a dream, he doesn't want to wake up.

Gathering the fiery haired demoness in his arms, he leans in close to breath in her scent and sighs approvingly as cherry blossoms and a spring rain fill his nostrils.

"You smell divine. Are you real or is this all just a wonderful dream?"

She giggles at his words and then leans in to whisper in his ear. "You smell heavenly to and this is not a dream. Now, shut up and kiss me."

His surprise at her forwardness, fades into the background as his gaze fixates on her luscious lips. Feeling his eyes on them, her tongue darts out to wet her parched lips and seeing this, he can't hold himself back.

Leaning forward, he grasps her face in his hands and pulls her toward him, lust evident in his features. Her growl of approval is silenced with their mouths meet and a shock of electricity travels from their lips to their toes. Groaning at the feel of her and his reaction to their first kiss, he sweeps his tongue across her bottom lip and groans his approval as she opens for him immediately, her tongue battling with his, their pleasure only growing.

The pleasurable haze clearing with a sudden flashback of Sango across his vision has Miroku nearly jumping out of his skin and spinning around quickly, to try and duck a waiting hiraikotsu. Of course, he only realizes too late that it's his fault it won't be swinging at him too late. Backing away from Thirinia slowly, he smiles apologetically and then takes a deep breath to try and explain himself, her look of confusion only giving her an even more innocently sexy look.

Groaning to himself, he walks toward her again and then with his arm around her waist, begins to walk her toward the clearing just ahead, where he originally planned to make camp.

"I'm sorry for the abrupt halt to our delectable activities a moment ago, but I just left a difficult relationship and I'm not sure if it would be wise to jump right into another one. I would love to continue what we started, but I just don't want to hurt you."

Eyes widening in shock at the words that just left his mouth, he takes a moment to comprehend what he just said and is slightly shocked as he realizes that he means every word of it. Looking to the exciting new demoness before him, her slight smile and nod of the head is all he needs to see to know that she is willing to wait. Maybe she even respects him more for being honest with her.

"I have one question for you Thirinia. Please be honest. Why did you agree to bear my child and were you serious?"

Holding his breath at her answer, he gasps at the words she utters so passionately and with such conviction.

"My mother is a Seer in our clan. She is very powerful and her visions are known throughout the lands as always coming to pass. She truly has the gift. I was told when I was very young by my mother that on the day I turned 20 summers, I would leave home. It wouldn't matter which way I went because I was fated to meet my future mate on my travels. She told me he would be a handsome traveling priest with an aptitude for wandering hands and that I would know him by his sparkling violet eyes and the prayer beads he wore on his right hand, which held a powerful curse. She said that I would follow you into battle with a powerful half demon and help you to defeat him to lift the curse. The last thing she told me was that during our travels together, we would mate and the pups from our union would be some of the most powerful in the land, second only to the Western Lords and the Queen of the Blood Clans."

The shock he feels after she is finished is something quite unexplainable. Taking a few deep breaths, he nods his head at her words. Who was he to doubt the word of a powerful Seer? He had already felt a powerful attraction to the demoness before him, there was no question of that. This just gave him further proof that what he was feeling was genuine and not just another passing phase.

"I believe you are the traveling monk my mother told me about. I also believe that your right hand is indeed cursed and you do have a tendency to let your hands wander. If all this is to be believed, I am to help you in your quest to kill the evil hanyou and rid you of the curse you bear. Before or after this is all done, I will fulfill my mother's vision and mate with you if you will have me and bear you as many pups as you would like. We are destined to be together."

Looking into her honest face, he feels the sincerity of her words flow through him and does the only thing he can think of. Leaning into her once again, he touches her lips with his in another passionate embrace, pouring all his feelings into this one moment when he finally found happiness, even if it didn't last.

"I believe you."

Alright everyone, that is gonna do it for this chapter. I am soo sorry for the long wait, but I made this an extra long chapter because you all are so wonderful to keep me going. I hope this satisfied you all for the moment at least. I will update again when I can, but I just started four new classes for my degree and I can't be certain when I will have the time to. I promise any free time will be spent writing new chapters. I hope to hear from you all on what you thought of this chapter and if anyone has any requests or suggestions, please feel free to post them. Take care until next time….Ja!


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